Journey to the Dark Side: A Lore Story, REDUX
by Sfbell888
Summary: Final chapters added! This story chronicles Lore's life on Omicron Theta prior to his encounter with Data. Please review, this is my first attempt at writing about a dark character. Enjoy!
1. Chapter One: Newest Member of the Co

This fan fic story chronicles Lore's life prior to his initial encounter with Data.  
Contains mild violence and sexual content

**Journey to the Dark Side: A Lore Story, **_**REDUX **_  
_Written by: S. Bell_

**Chapter One: The Newest Member of the Colony**

_Omicron Theta, 2335_

It had been a few months since the activation of Dr. Soong's android. The android had successfully passed the developmental stage, its childhood as it were, and was beginning to show great promise. Soon, it was time to introduce him to the colony, to allow him to learn and adapt with humans — other than Dr. Soong and his wife Juliana.

"Why did they make him so… so pale, and why are his eyes like that?" whispered Alexander as he grimaced with disapproval.

Alexander gawked at the android that was sitting alone at a table which was isolated from the rest of the diners in the atrium. He sat with a relaxed smile on his face as he patiently observed the other patrons.

"Alex, don't stare. Hasn't anyone ever told you that it's impolite?" Jacqueline replied as she elbowed him, "Besides, the color of a person's skin shouldn't prevent you from getting to know them."

"Jackie, this is different. He's just a machine, he doesn't understand." Alex replied and for a moment he saw the android's expression change. 'He couldn't possibly have heard me, could he?' he thought.

Jacqueline shot him a cold glance before he realized he had said something offensive.

"'_This is different?'_ Jacqueline replied with annoyance, "That's how it always starts! In case you hadn't noticed, there aren't a lot of people around here with my complexion either! But that didn't stop them from giving me a chance, that didn't stop _you_ from giving me a chance. You can stay here and cower all you want, but I'm going to introduce myself to the newest member of the colony! By the way, don't call me Jackie when we're around other people!" Jacqueline replied before she stormed off.

The android continued to watch a group of students exchanging jokes and pranks with one another when he saw a woman approaching. She was about 5' 7", slender but shapely and her skin was the color he compared to golden caramel.

"Mind if I join you?" Jacqueline asked.

"No, not at all." the android replied.

Jacqueline made a move to pull out her chair and she was surprised when the android moved swiftly and beat her to it.

"Oh, thanks." she said with a smile. 'Alex never does that for me.' she thought as she looked in his direction to see that he was rolling his eyes.

"I'm Jacqueline. Jacqueline Bailey." she replied as she extended her hand. The android glanced at it for a moment and began to process the meaning of it.

"Ah, you'd like to shake hands. I'm Lore. It's… a pleasure to meet you Jacqueline." he replied before taking Jacqueline's hand into his own and shook it in a slightly mechanical manner. She shuddered when she realized that his hand was not cold like she'd expected, but slightly warmer than her own.

"Have I hurt you Jacqueline?" Lore asked with concern after promptly removing his hand.

"No. No, you haven't. It's just that you're… so warm. I didn't expect that."

"Yes. I am capable of altering my body temperature. Based on the information I have been provided, I realize that humans often prefer to shake hands slightly warmer than their own. Therefore, before shaking your hand, I altered my temperature so it would exceed yours by six degrees."

They spoke for a while and Jacqueline smiled, she couldn't help but be impressed.

"Lore, I've heard many things about you, but I didn't expect you to seem so… human." she said.

"What did you expect?"

"I guess I… oh, I don't know, just something different. Has anyone else spoken to you today?"

"I've attempted to sit with several groups of people, but they all… strongly requested that I find another place to sit. Those events eventually led me to sit here, alone."

Jacqueline sighed and she couldn't help but feel sorry for the android.

"Well, it's their loss. You're very good company." she smiled, "Lore, why don't you sit with my fiancé and I."

"Because I haven't been invited." Lore calmly answered, to which Jacqueline laughed, "Why are you laughing?"

"That _was _an invitation."

As Jackie and Lore walked to the table at which Alex was sitting, a hush seemed to sweep through the atrium. Lore noticed that people were pointing, staring an even giggling.

When Alex saw them approaching, he could not believe it.

"Oh no, what the hell is she doing?" he asked himself under his breath, "She's bringing _that_ over here?"

Jacqueline and Lore arrived at the table.

"Lore, I would like you to meet Alex, my fiancé. Alex, this is Lore." Jacqueline introduced.

Lore extended his hand to Alex, who reluctantly shook it before analyzing the android's features closely.

"Wow, other than its creepy eyes and weird skin, it almost looks… human." Alex replied.

"Alex, I consider it rude that you refer to me as 'it'." Lore replied.

"Why is that?" asked Alex.

"My name is Lore, not 'it'."

Jacqueline smiled as she raised an eyebrow at Alex who was stunned. She was clearly amused. Although the three of them sat together, Alex was withdrawn from the conversation for the most part. He was mainly focused on the other people who were gawking and laughing at them. His embarrassment was immeasurable.

"Well, I guess I have to get going." Alex replied impatiently as he stood up, "Jacqueline, you coming?"

"Yeah, we've been here for a while." she answered as she joined Alex.

"It's been very nice meeting both of you." Lore said.

"Yeah whatever, let's go Jacqueline."

"Bye Lore. See you later." she replied as she turned to walk away with Alex, but something made her turn back.

"_What are you doing? Let's go!_" Alex hissed so that only Jacqueline could hear it. Little did he know about Lore's extraordinary hearing.

"Lore, tomorrow a bunch of us are going out to the lake for a swim. Would you like to join us?" Jacqueline asked, barely able to concentrate on her words since Alex was whispering objections from behind her.

"Yes. Thank you for inviting me."

"Sure, just meet us here tomorrow at 14:00 hours and make sure you bring a bathing suit."

She then walked away with Alex, who continually whispered questions like 'Why the hell did you do that for?!'

When Lore returned to Dr. Soong's lab that evening, he discussed his experiences and mentioned Jacqueline's invitation.

"Father, if I'm to join them, I'll need a bathing suit."

Dr. Soong's smile faded slightly. "Lore, I have to tell you something. Although you're water-resistant for the most part, you don't have enough buoyancy to float in water. I'm sorry son, but you won't be able to swim."

Lore thought for a moment. "Still, I would like to join them, even if I can't swim. I've been given a chance to interact with others and I wish to take it."

"Alright, I'll get you some swimwear. Just remember not to go into the water."

"Yes father, I'll remember."


	2. Chapter Two: Going Under

This fan fic story chronicles Lore's life prior to his initial encountered with Data.  
Contains mild violence and sexual content

**Journey to the Dark Side: A Lore Story, **_**REDUX **_  
_Written by: S. Bell_

**Chapter Two: Going Under**

The next day, Lore met Jacqueline and Alex at the prearranged location. He noticed that they were with about a dozen additional people, some of which he can hear whispering.

"What's _he _doing here?" one young woman asked harshly.

"Because _I_ invited him. Do we have a problem here?" Jacqueline replied firmly.

"But won't he rust?" one of the guys replied to which Alex chuckled, prompting Jacqueline to jab him in the ribs.

"No, I will not rust." Lore replied.

Once they got to the lake, they changed into their swimsuits. When Jacqueline emerged from the changing room, she saw Lore — who was wearing a blue swim trunks. The sight of his well-defined body took her by surprise and her heart fluttered for a moment. Her eyes traveled along his firm chest and down to his chiseled abs. His pale skin shimmered in the sunlight. She finally brought herself to break her gaze and noticed that several of the other women were also staring at him, their tongues practically touching the ground. Lore looked at Jacqueline, who wore a lavender colored bikini. He noticed that the other women wore bikinis as well — some with brighter colors that Jacqueline's — but she somehow stood out to him. Alex noticed the android staring at his fiancé and became irritated. He lifted Jacqueline up and ran into the water with her laughing along the way. Everyone else followed — everyone except Lore who sat on the jetty and dangled his feet in the water. He watched the group as they swam and splashed around, some diving under and coming back up. However, his focus seemed to remain on Jacqueline, who laughed as Alex tickled her before they kissed. Lore experienced something strange. However, he couldn't tell what it was, but it forced him to look away. Something inside him seemed to want the image he saw to go away, but he couldn't understand why. He was so preoccupied that he didn't hear someone sit beside him.

"Hey, why aren't you swimming?" asked Alex, "Are you afraid you'll short circuit or something?"

"I can't feel fear and I'm water-resistant. However, I don't have the buoyancy to float in water."

"Really?" Alex replied slyly as another young man sat on the other side of Lore, "Well, I wonder how long it takes you to rust."

As if on cue, Alex and the other young man pushed Lore off the jetty. Lore somehow managed to hang on with one arm as he dangled waist deep in the water. He looked up at Alex and grabbed hold of his ankle.

"I wonder how long it takes for you to run out of air." Lore said before he let go of the jetty and fell into the lake, pulling Alex with him.

Alex splashed to stay afloat, but it was useless as Lore's body weight quickly sank to the bottom of the lake. As he struggled to free himself from Lore's grip, Alex wore a face of panic. Suddenly, Lore finally released his grip when he saw that Alex appeared to be growing weak. Other than the young man who assisted Alex in shoving Lore off the jetty, there were no witnesses to what happened and the man began to yell for help. A crowd quickly gathered and two people dove in after Alex. By the time they entered the water; Alex had already resurfaced and was gasping for air.

Lore was still at the bottom of the lake looking up through the water at the blurry images above him as he proceeded to walk. He took the time to ponder what had happened. He tried to figure out what had compelled him to grab Alex's ankle and he was confused about what prevented him from releasing him until it was nearly too late. Lore was aware that Alex could have died and found it to be a most disturbing situation. Once back on land, he noticed the crowd around Alex — who was sitting on the ground and hysterical.

"Keep that freak away from me! The bastard just tried to kill me!" he yelled.

The crowd parted as Lore approached, this enabled him and Alex to face each other. Jacqueline stepped forward and had a confused look on her face.

"Lore, what happened? Why did you pull him in like that?"

"I didn't intentionally pull him into the water. After he and his friend pushed me, I had an… impulse to grab his ankle. I don't know why."

"You _pushed_ him?!" Jacqueline screamed at Alex.

"I was only playing around! He's the one that tried to drown me. He said he wondered how long it would take before I ran out of air!"

"I didn't intend it as a threat. I was simply curious. The average human can hold their breath for approximately two minutes. However, that number varies depending on a number of factors including water pressure and —"

"Lore," Jacqueline interrupted, "but why did you hold him under water like that?"

Lore squinted as he tried to analyze possible reasons for the occurrence, but nothing seemed to make sense.

"I don't know. For some reason, I just couldn't release him. I suspect that it's a result of an anomaly in one of my processors. I'm sorry I've alarmed you; I'll inform my father about this. If there's a problem, he'll be able to fix it."

"Yeah, well you do that, you freak!" Alex snapped as he stood up.

"Alex, name calling solves nothing." Jacqueline said firmly as Alex stormed off. She turned to Lore, "I hope Dr. Soong figures out what happened. I'll see you later okay."

As Jacqueline ran to catch up to Alex; the rest of the crowd stood in silence as they stared inquisitively at Lore.


	3. Chapter Three: Strange Malfunction

This fan fic story chronicles Lore's life prior to his initial encountered with Data.  
Contains mild violence and sexual content

**Journey to the Dark Side: A Lore Story, **_**REDUX **_  
_Written by: S. Bell_

**Chapter Three: Strange Malfunction **

After Dr. Soong completed his examination of Lore, he seemed to be puzzled. All of his systems were in impeccable condition.

"Lore, do you think you were… upset?" he asked.

"Father, I don't know. I don't think so. I didn't intend for any of this to happen. I tried to let him go but I just… couldn't. I don't understand what happened." Lore replied as he struggled to figure out what went wrong.

"Well, that makes two of us son. Until we do, I suggest you remain inside for a few days, just to be on the safe side." Dr. Soong sighed as he patted Lore on the shoulder.

"Agreed."

The days came and went. Lore functioned normally during the entire time and he was given the okay to interact with others once again. As he walked through the colony, he heard people whispering about him and saw them cast angry stares at him. He acknowledged all this, but didn't allow it to occupy his thoughts. When he entered the atrium, he sat at his usual lonely table. Before long, he had an unexpected visitor.

"Hi Jacqueline," he greeted softly as he stood up and pulled a chair out for her, "how are you? Is Alex alright?"

"I'm okay Lore. Alex is fine, only his ego is injured." she said with a smile and Lore laughed softly, but she didn't notice, "Did Dr. Soong figure out what happened?"

"He performed several thorough diagnostics, but has found no anomalies."

"Well, Alex shouldn't have pushed you like that. I'm sorry."

"Why are you apologizing for his actions?"

"Because he's too proud to do it himself, or maybe he's too scared to approach you."

As they continued to talk, Lore found Jacqueline's voice to be easy to listen to — even more so when she spoke his name. As he looked into her dark-brown eyes, he experienced a sensation that was new to him. He had observed many of the women in the colony, but there was something different about Jacqueline. Lore opened his mouth for a moment, but couldn't think of what to say. He began to feel that something was wrong with his system and he suddenly stood up.

"I — I must go. I'm sorry." he replied in a shaky voice before he walked away.

Jacqueline was left sitting there, feeling confused as she wondered if she had said something to offend him.

When Lore returned to the lab he approached his father with great urgency.

"Father, I need you to perform another system-wide diagnostic. Something's wrong."

"Has something happened again? Did someone get hurt?"

"No, but my system isn't functioning properly and my self-diagnostics aren't sufficient enough to determine the cause."

After Lore explained the situation, Dr. Soong proceeded with the analysis. However, the results were all normal.

"Lore, I can't find anything wrong with you and your speech processors are completely operational." Dr. Soong replied.

"Father, I'm sure I experienced a malfunction, but I'm unable to determine the cause. Perhaps this is linked to the incident at the lake."

Dr. Soong was completely baffled as he tried to come up with possible explanations for Lore's unexpected experience. Suddenly his face lit up. 'Could it be?' he wondered.

"Lore, describe the events to me one more time." Dr. Soong requested.

As Lore explained what happened in the atrium once again, Dr. Soong saw something he hadn't initially noticed. Whenever Lore mentioned Jacqueline's name, he would smile. It became clear to Dr. Soong that Lore was attracted to this woman. Was it a simple crush? Infactuation? Love, surely it was too soon to be love — or could it?

"Father?" Lore cut into his thoughts.

"Yes Lore?"

"Perhaps I should refrain from interacting with the members of the colony until I figure out what's causing these malfunctions."

"Lore, I don't think it was a malfunction. I think you've experienced something wonderful; an emotion!"

"Which one?"

"Son, I'm afraid only you can answer that. There are a wide range of emotions and at times even humans have trouble identifying which ones are being experienced at a given time. In time, you'll understand them. However, I think maybe you experienced an emotion at the lake as well and I suspect that it was some form of anger. Although emotions are beautiful, you have to be responsible with them. It's very important to control them enough to prevent them from clouding your judgment. But son, I'm proud of you! You've just made the next step to becoming more human!" Dr. Soong exclaimed as he held Lore by the shoulders.

With that, Lore was left to ponder his experience all the while looking forward to his next encounter with Jacqueline. As he thought about her, he smiled once again.


	4. Chapter Four: Mental Chess Match

This fan fic story chronicles Lore's life prior to his initial encountered with Data.  
Contains mild violence and sexual content

**Journey to the Dark Side: A Lore Story, **_**REDUX **_  
_Written by: S. Bell_

**Chapter Four: Mental Chess Match**

A few weeks after the so-called malfunction, Lore became intrigued with Jacqueline. He would often watch her interact with the children in the colony and couldn't help but notice how kind and gentle she was. Her personality seemed to amplify her striking beauty. On one particular day, he heard her singing a song to the children in one of the al fresco classes.

'_The sons of the Prophet are brave men and bold;  
And quite unaccustomed to fear.  
But the bravest by far in the ranks of the Shah;  
Was Abdul Abulbul Amir…' _

After the children dispersed, Lore approached her.

"Hi Jacqueline, you have a lovely voice." he told her.

"Oh, thanks Lore."

"What song was that? I really like it."

"Abdul Abulbul Amir, it was written by —"

"Percy French, in 1877." Lore added.

"Yeah, so you're familiar with it?"

"I have that information in my memory banks, but I can't recall it ever sounding so…wonderful." he said with an affectionate smile.

"Lore, I think you've just mastered flattery." Jacqueline replied, "That should make you really popular."

"I'm afraid it won't. The other colonists still want nothing to do with me. You're my only friend Jacqueline." he said softly.

Jacqueline genuinely felt bad for Lore. During the previous weeks, she desperately tried to get some of the other colonists to befriend him but with no success. Some of the colonists began to shun her as a result of her friendship with Lore.

"Yeah well, some of them have begun to shut me out. Well I guess it's their loss then."

"Yes it is." Lore replied prompting Jacqueline to smile.

During the months that followed, Dr. Soong was able to have Lore enlisted to assist the atmospheric research team, at team which Alex was also a part of. Most days were uneventful and although the team engaged in relaxed conversation with one another, they would often exclude Lore. When off duty, Lore found himself to be increasingly preoccupied with thoughts of Jacqueline. Even when he was on duty, he often noticed that a small part of his cognitive functions seemed to focus on her. He and Jacqueline had become good friends — much to the jealousy of Alex. One night, Lore overheard the two of them having an argument outside of the arboretum. It was evident that Alex had been drinking heavily.

"Alex, what's wrong with you?" Jacqueline snapped.

"Jackie, don't play stupid, you and your little boy toy are spending_ way _too much time together!"

"Calm down Alex," Jacqueline hushed, "Lore and I are just friends, nothing more."

Lore was saddened to hear Jacqueline describe their relationship that way.

"That's not what everyone else thinks! You're making a fool out of me Jackie!" Alex spat.

"Well 'everyone else' is wrong! Who are you going to believe, me or them?"

"Don't try to twist things around!"

"I don't have to! You've done a good job of that on your own! Maybe you're just jealous because my definition of friendship is entirely different from yours."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?!"

"It means, at least _my_ friend isn't a bottle!" she exclaimed, prompting Lore to chuckle to himself.

On that note, Alex smacked her across the face causing her to stumble backward. At that point, Lore stopped giggling and leapt into action. He was so stealthy, no one heard him coming. By the time Jacqueline looked up, she saw Alex hanging by his neck and choking in Lore's grasp.

"It's not so nice to be on the receiving end of another's wrath is it? Now, let's see what a tough guy you really are." Lore said with a smirk as Alex thrashed around and grumbled unintelligible words, "What was that Alex? I can't quite hear you. You appear to be slurring your words; perhaps you've had one too many drinks?" Lore taunted, his face wore a sarcastic smile since it felt good to put the bully in he place.

"Lore! Put him down, you're choking him!" Jacqueline exclaimed. She couldn't help but feel honored that he leapt to her defense.

Lore was confused as to why she was defending Alex after what he had done, but he decided to accede to her wishes.

"_Never_ hit Jacqueline again." Lore hissed quietly at Alex as he released him, letting him fall onto the ground.

"Yeah whatever! You two deserve each other!" Alex shouted before he staggered off and Lore began to chuckle.

"Alex wait!" Jacqueline called as she started to follow, but Lore held her arm in restriction.

"Following him isn't a good idea. I suggest we give him time to… cool off." Lore calmly suggested.

Jacqueline sighed before sitting under a tree and leaning against its broad trunk. "I guess you're probably right."

Her face bore a sad expression that he wished he could correct and he decided to sit beside her.

"How can I make you feel better?" he asked.

"Lore, I wish I knew." she replied as she forced out a chuckle.

"Why does Alex drink so much?" he asked.

"I wish I knew that too. There was a time when he kicked his addiction, but he fell off the wagon."

"Was he badly hurt?" Lore replied, not being familiar with the expression.

"It's just a phrase Lore, it means that he had a relapse."

"How did he overcome the addiction the first time?"

"His family and I staged an intervention. We demanded that he partake in a rehabilitation program. He didn't like it, but it was for his own good. Unfortunately, sometimes people have to be do things they don't like in order to make their lives better. Even more regrettable is that they sometimes have to go through the process more than once. I just want Alex to be happy, he's been through a lot and not many people understand him."

"What of your happiness? Does it make you happy when he lashes out at you like he did a few moments ago?"

"No Lore! Of course not!"

"Then why do you stay? Why do you put up with that kind of behavior? If he truly loved you, he wouldn't do those things."

"Lore, it's not that simple!" she exclaimed as she looked at him, "He needs me and… When you're in love it makes you do weird and irrational things sometimes. In my case it means I'm irrational enough to stay with Alex because I love him and I think he deserves a chance. He doesn't hurt me intentionally, and we're working things out." Jacqueline struggled to believe her own words but she realized that she was lying to Lore and to herself. She knew that her relationship with Alex was in serious jeopardy.

"That's not what it looked like a few moments ago." Lore replied with a frown.

Jacqueline became frustrated, talking to Lore made her feel as if she were on the losing end of a mental chess match. She fought back tears as she hugged her knees and stared at the ground.

"Oh forget it. How can I expect you to understand?" she sighed, "You've never been in love."

"That's an inaccurate assumption."

"What? You never told me you were in love before? What was her name?" Jacqueline's voice indicated her surprise.

Lore opened his mouth to reply but thought better of it.

"I'd prefer not to say." he said as his facial expression became more somber.

"Oh, I'm sorry for prying. It looks like she hurt you pretty bad." Jacqueline replied, "Well, whoever she was, she was a fool to let you get away. Any girl would be lucky to have you as her admirer."

If Lore had a heart, he was sure that it would have fluttered at that moment. He smiled and gazed deeply into her eyes. Meanwhile, Jacqueline's heart fluttered enough for both of them and she was becoming increasingly uneasy. At that moment, a small leaf fell from the tree and landed in her hair, but only Lore noticed it. He leaned close and reached his hand out towards her hair, his eyes never left her gaze. She leaned back cautiously and wondered what he was up to, but he explained his actions before she could inquire.

"You have a leaf in your hair." he whispered softly as he continued to move closer to remove it.

His face was so close to hers that she could feel his warm breath on her cheek.

"Uh, thanks." she replied when he placed the leaf in her hand and held it for a moment. Her breathing became shallow.

Lore slowly backed away with a smile on his face. It was at that moment when Lore finally realized that they shared a mutual attraction but he still fought the temptation to kiss her, but was surprised when she pulled him close and kissed him tenderly on the cheek. After a brief moment, she leaned in to kiss him again, this time on the lips. As soon as their lips touched she knew she had crossed the line.

"Lore, I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have done that. I don't know what I was thinking! I'd better go!" she frantically exclaimed as she got on her feet and turned to walk away.

Lore gently seized her arm.

"No, don't be sorry. It's alright. You don't have to leave."

"Oh yes I do!" she replied with an awkward giggle, "I'll see you later alright?"

"Alright." Lore whispered with a smile as he watched her run around a corner.


	5. Chapter Five: The Hopeless Romantic

This fan fic story chronicles Lore's life prior to his initial encountered with Data.  
Contains mild violence and sexual content

**Journey to the Dark Side: A Lore Story, **_**REDUX **_  
_Written by: S. Bell_

**Chapter Five: The Hopeless Romantic**

Later that evening, Lore approached Juliana with some questions that had been circling his mind.

"Mother, how was father able to express his feelings for you? How did he convince you to… court him?" he asked sincerely.

"Lore," she said, her voice filled with pleasant surprise, "you've never been interested hearing about the courtship between your father and I."

"I've encountered a situation where I wish to initiate a romantic relationship. However, I don't know how to make her aware of my interest."

Juliana succeeded in repressing a chuckle. She found it to be adorable that Lore had developed such affections for a female within the colony.

"Well Lore, I'm flattered that you've come to me for advice. Most young men don't go to their mothers for advice in such matters."

"But mother," Lore smiled gently, "I'm not 'most young men.'"

"Oh, of course Lore I know. Gee, where do I begin? Ah yes. Your father would send me tokens of his affections."

"What sort of tokens?"

"Oh, well mostly things like books and poetry, but sometimes he'd go the traditional route and send me flowers and candy. At first he was afraid of rejection, so he sent everything anonymously, but eventually he was brave enough to approach me directly. Sure he's an intellectual man, but he's a hopeless romantic at heart." she explained before pausing briefly, "Lore, if you don't mind my asking, who's the lucky lady that has captured your affections?"

"Her name's Jacqueline. Jacqueline Bailey."

"Jacqueline?" Juliana replied as her smile faded slightly, "But Lore, she's engaged to be married in a few months."

"I'm aware of that mother. However, her fiancé is rather harsh and abusive to her. I don't believe a girl like Jacqueline should be subjected to that kind of behavior."

"Lore, no woman should be subjected to that behavior, but Lore, she's already made the decision to accept this man as her future husband. I don't think it would be wise to interfere, it could… complicate things."

Lore thought for a quick moment before responding.

"Yes mother. I understand that Jacqueline has accepted Alex as her future husband, but maybe if she would've been aware of her other options, her decision would have been different. I understand your concerns mother, but I can't ignore my affections for her."

"Oh Lore," Juliana sighed, "I just don't want your feelings to get hurt that's all."

That same night, Lore found the courage to express his feelings for Jacqueline by sending her a poem. He adopted one of the poems by Samuel Taylor Coleridge: '_Where true Love burns Desire is Love's pure flame; It is the reflex of our earthly frame, That takes its meaning from the nobler part, And but translates the language of the heart.'_

Lore composed the message and was ready to send it to her, but made the last minute decision to omit his name and send the poem to her anonymously.


	6. Chapter Six: Misunderstanding

This fan fic story chronicles Lore's life prior to his initial encountered with Data.  
Contains mild violence and sexual content

**Journey to the Dark Side: A Lore Story, **_**REDUX **_  
_Written by: S. Bell_

**Chapter Six: Misunderstanding**

Lore hadn't seen Jacqueline for several days and he sent her several messages requesting to see her during that time. However, she didn't respond and he began to wonder if he had done something to offend her. He felt empty and lonely without her and began to send her flowers and small gifts — he had learned that humans customarily did this as an apology if they had done something wrong. He constantly looked for her in all of the places she regularly visited, but she was never there. Once he even tried to visit her in her quarters, but she wasn't home. Her entire routine seemed to have changed and Lore couldn't help but feel that she was avoiding him. However, on one particular evening, he knew he was sure to see her. She had been planning a going away celebration for a colony member that had been recently accepted to Starfleet Academy. During the party, Lore watched her intently as she greeted guests and even recited a tearful farewell speech to her friend.

"…Daphne, when you get to the academy put in a good word for me, I've been applying for years!" Jacqueline joked, to which the crowd chuckled.

Soon after the party had ended, Lore witnessed Alex — who had drunk way too much — outside flirting with a young woman in the corridor. The woman clearly wasn't interested. Though he was disgusted by Alex's conduct, Lore ignored him and approached Jacqueline —who was straightening up the gathering room.

"Jacqueline, how come you've never returned my messages? Did you receive —"

"Yeah Lore, I got your messages. All three of them." she brushed past him to busy herself with stacking cups and dishes, but Lore followed her, "I'm sorry, but I've been very busy Lore."

Lore was confused; he'd sent Jacqueline more than three messages—most of which were accompanied by gifts. Nine more to be exact. Before he could inquire, Jacqueline spoke.

"Lore, wait. Before you say anything, there's something I have to tell you." she glumly replied, "What happened in the arboretum the other night was a mistake. I shouldn't have kissed you like that."

Lore noticed the way her dark brown eyes sparkled and dilated when she looked at him. The slight pout on her plump lips seemed appealing to him. He could smell the sweet scent of her black, silky hair.

"Jacqueline, you're so beautiful, has anyone ever told you that? Has _he_ ever told you that?" Lore asked, his voice quivered slightly with admiration as he stroked her hair.

The sound of her name in his voice filled her with a discomfort that was only surpassed by the uneasiness she felt when he touched her. She was angry at herself for kissing him a few nights ago and now things were strange between them. Although she couldn't deny her attraction to him, she just wanted her friend back.

"Please Lore, let me finish." she replied softly, "Alex has been trying so hard lately, I mean, he's been very pleasant and gentle. I can't believe it, but he actually started sending me flowers and gifts again. One day he even sent me a poem, can you believe it?! Now it's like I'm starting to fall in love with him all over again. He went through all that trouble and in the meantime, I betrayed him… by kissing you. I guess what I'm trying to say is that we can still be friends, but we just can't see each other as often as we used to."

Lore became furious when he realized that Alex had somehow intercepted his messages and had stolen the gifts and the poem he had sent to Jacqueline. He found it to be despicable that Alex had presented them to her under false pretenses. At that moment, Lore was determined to get him out of Jacqueline's life. Despite Lore's burning rage for Alex, he continued to gently stroke Jacqueline's hair. At first she didn't fight it because the action seemed so natural, but she knew it was wrong.

"Uh, Lore, it's getting late, I really should finish up here." she nervously replied as she moved away from him his reach.

"I'd be happy to help you, it's no trouble." he offered eagerly as he followed her.

His hand met hers as they both reached for the same plate and she swiftly retracted her hand, almost as a reflex.

"Jacqueline, there's no need to be afraid of me." Lore replied with a cool smile as he moved closer, "It's alright; you don't have to hide your feelings for me anymore."

His words were of little consolation to her as she continued to move backwards. Her apprehension seemed to be laced with a hint of temptation and it mounted as he matched her every step.

"Lore please," her voice quivered, "I don't need your help. I just want to be alone right now, okay? Besides, I'm engaged to be married!"

"But you're not married yet." he replied slyly.

She gasped as her back met the wall and Lore was standing toe to toe with her. There was no way for her to avoid him. She could feel his breath on her face and her heart pounding frantically in her chest.

"Are you sure you don't want my help? You'll find that I can be quite… useful." he whispered as he lowered his face close to hers.

Her heart continued to pound anxiously as she tried her best to push him away, but she may as well have tried to push the wall as the results were the same. She panicked when she felt his lips come closer to hers and she turned away in protest.

"No! Lore please, don't!" she exclaimed.

At that moment, Alex walked into the room.

"Jacqueline, are you alright? I thought I heard — what the hell is going on here?!" Alex demanded upon seeing Lore so close to his fiancé.

"Hi Alex," Lore replied casually as he backed away from the Jacqueline, "I was just trying to assist Jacqueline in cleaning up."

Jacqueline promptly walked over to Alexander — who immediately wrapped an arm around her waist. The sight sent waves of intense jealousy through Lore's mind. He wished _he_ could touch her the same way, perhaps even more, without her being so resistant.

"It looks like you were trying to do a lot more than that!" Alexander snapped before turning his attention to his fiancé, "Jackie, are you okay honey?"

"I'm fine Alex. I'm sure it was just a misunderstanding." she replied in an attempt to keep the peace.

Jackie knew that Alex had a short temper and any attempt to face off with Lore — a super strong android — would have devastating results. Also, the fact that Alex was drunk out of his mind didn't help matters much. However, Lore _wished_ that Alex would try to attack him. Lore desperately wanted a valid excuse so he could snap this man in half like a toothpick.

"Yeah," Alex replied with a snarl as he glared at Lore, "well, let's hope it won't happen again! Since you're so…_ eager _to help clean up, I'm sure you won't mind taking over for Jacqueline since she's pretty tired right now. See you tomorrow, _Lore._"

Jackie tried to argue, but Alex pulled her out of the room — but not before creating a bigger mess by deliberately knocking a huge pile of stacked cups onto the floor. Lore was left to clean up the mess on his own. However, he wasn't having any of that and took his frustration out on a young man just outside the room.

"You!" Lore called forcefully and the young man entered, his eyes wide with alarm.

"Yes?" the man gulped.

"Clean this up!" Lore ordered as he gestured to the mess.

"Yes sir!" the young man replied as he hurriedly began to follow Lore's command.

Lore expelled a quick, silent breath as he smirked to himself. He enjoyed the feeling of having someone obey him. He enjoyed the feeling of being the one who was in control. It felt good not to bend to the whim of another, but to have them bend to his.

"That android must have his wires crossed to think he has a shot in hell with you!" Lore heard Alex chuckle in the distance. The comment caused Lore to scowl. Apparently he didn't know about Lore's phenomenal hearing, either that or he didn't care, but little did he know that he would live to regret his actions — but not for very long.


	7. Chapter Seven: Sudden Attack

**Journey to the Dark Side: A Lore Story, **_**REDUX **_  
_Written by: S. Bell_

**Chapter Seven: Sudden Attack**

The next day, Lore accompanied the research team on a scout ship to take readings of the planet's atmosphere. Alex was also a part of the team which almost guaranteed that the trip would be far from routine. Prior to boarding, Lore appeared to be staring at Alex. Although Lore was still upset with the events that transpired the night before, he was actually staring at Alex for a different reason.

"What are you looking at circuit brain?" Alex snapped; it was apparent that he was nursing a hangover.

"I'm making the determination of whether or not it would be safe to permit you to board the vessel. It's prohibited for research personnel to go on a mission while they're impaired." Lore replied.

"What?! Well, who the hell put you in charge?!"

"No one's put me 'in charge', but one of my duties is to assure the safety of the research team during each mission. That includes restricting personnel from partaking in the mission if they've been declared unfit for duty." Lore explained with a hint of lingering anger.

"So, do you have any objections of _my _partaking in this particular mission?" Alex hissed as he stood just inches away from Lore.

"Based on my analysis, I see no reason to ban you from this mission. I _permit_ to board the vessel Mr. Davies." Lore replied with a sly sneer, "Well go on, you do remember how to board don't you? Unless you've finally fried your last functioning brain cell with the poison you've plied yourself with!"

Alex grunted furiously as he boarded the vessel with another research team member and the pilot. He hated the manner in which the android had spoken to him and he despised the fact that he addressed him by his last name. Lore was the last to board the ship and was thoroughly pleased at Alex's irritation.

Once the ship took off, it was a routine trip until they got to their scheduled destination in orbit. Lore heard a strange noise, like someone playing distorted music on water goblets.

"Do you hear that?" he asked Alex.

"Hear what? I don't hear anything, maybe you should oil your ears; they might be getting rusty, tin man." Alex quipped and his assistant began to laugh, "but not as rusty as your taste in poetry. '_Where true Love burns Desire is Love's pure flame…'"_

Alex began to laugh hysterically and Lore began to burn with rage.

"But I have to thank you though, Jackie loves romantic crap like that. When I gave her the poem, she nearly fainted and asked me who the author was. She almost caught me there, but I'm way ahead of her, I just told her it was an anonymous piece. She's so naïve at times, but I love her… almost as much as she loves me." Alex continued.

"You filthy thief!" Lore exclaimed furiously through gritted teeth while balling his fists. His rage was enough to fill the pilot and Alex's assistant with concern. They didn't want to be on the ship if the android decided to go off the deep end.

"Hey, it wasn't exactly _your_ poem. You didn't exactly write it yourself you know. In fact, all of your little gifts and tokens actually worked to _my _advantage. She believes that I've changed and it has strengthened our relationship a whole lot."

Lore began to fantasize about what it would be like to wrap his hands around Alex's throat until his pathetic eyes popped out of their sockets. He wondered what it would be like to watch the life drain from his eyes. The very fantasy seemed very alluring to him, but he shook the thought away. 'What's happening to me? Why am I thinking like this? Why do I enjoy it?' Lore thought to himself.

His thoughts were interrupted when their instruments began picking up some very strange readings and then they saw it. A giant, brilliant crystal headed directly towards them.

"What the hell is that?!" Alex yelled.

"I don't know, but it's on a collision course and it's approaching very fast. I'm getting us out of here!" the pilot replied urgently.

By the time the pilot altered course the crystal was already attacking them. Lore began to read the ship's equipment.

"Shields are down by thirty-five percent! What's the status of navigation?" Lore inquired.

"Offline!" the pilot replied, "we're dead in the water!"

The crystal continued to attack the ship and before they knew it, shield strength had completely dropped. Suddenly, Alex's assistant let out a bloodcurdling scream and in a matter of seconds, he was reduced to a few ounces of dried chemicals. Panic ensued and the pilot and Alex both pleaded for their lives. All the while, Lore was beginning to notice a pattern in the sound of which the crystal was emitting.

"Opening hail frequencies." he announced.

"What? You're gonna try to make friends with it?! What are you —" the pilot exclaimed before he shrieked in immense agony before turning into dust.

"Oh my God! Lore what are we going to do?" Alex panicked but Lore ignored him.

Lore introduced himself to the crystal and began to communicate with it. At first there was some minor miscommunication until he figured out the correct configuration that would translate his voice into the crystal's language.

"Why are you killing our people?" Lore asked as Alex clung to his arm like a frightened child.

The crystal communicated to Lore that it was on the way to Omicron Theta to feed when it came across their vessel. It also communicated that it didn't purposely intend to harm anyone, but needed to consume energy in order to survive.

"Please Lore! Don't let that thing kill me too!" Alex pleaded.

"Silence!" Lore replied sharply, he needed to focus his concentration.

Lore then asked the crystal how long it could survive before its next feeding. Since the crystal had no sense of time, Lore had to figure out a way to quickly convey the concept. Once the crystal finally understood, it told him that it could survive for three weeks since it had just fed upon another planet.

"Do not attack Omicron Theta. I will inform the colony of your situation and they might be able to devise a solution that will preserve your life and preserve the lives on the planet."

The crystal immediately rejected the offer, thinking it was a trick and began to close in on the ship once again.

"Please, I'm telling the truth. Look, if you don't hear back from me in three weeks; then feel free to feast on the planet. But I assure you, I will contact you before then."

There were a few moments of tense silence before the crystal agreed and began to move away but Lore called it back.

"Standby." he requested.

Lore turned around to face Alex, who was shaken and pale.

"Alex, can you see the irony in the predicament you're in? There's a very large, energy-devouring life form outside this vessel and only I can communicate with it. Look at it, look how beautiful it is, almost as beautiful as Jacqueline, don't you agree?"

Alex was confused and, for the first time, terrified of Lore.

"Lore, what are you doing?" he asked.

"You know what's remarkable about this creature," Lore continued, disregarding Alex's question, "it needs a specific type of energy to survive; biological energy. Isn't that fascinating? But how could you appreciate such beauty, you can't even appreciate your own fiancé. You would just as soon destroy this amazing creature like you'd destroy Jacqueline!" Lore hissed, surprised at his own mounting anger.

"I'd never destroy her, I _love _her! Sometimes I just —"

"Lose control and smack her around a little?!" Lore asked angrily.

"Look, I only do that when I'm drunk alright!"

"But _you_ _let_ yourself get drunk and _she _pays the price for it! You've wasted the love she's given you!"

"Wait, since when do I have to answer to you anyway _android_?!" Alex spat.

Lore chuckled, almost manically, before he gave his response.

"Since you're life is in my hands right now." Lore replied with a broad smile.

Alex's heart dropped when he finally realized why Lore had summoned the crystal back. It was for him!

"Lore please! I promise I'll never hurt her again!"

"Isn't that something you've promised her before? If you couldn't keep your promise to her, why should I believe you? But you're right this time, you'll never hurt her again, I'll make sure of that. Then she and I can finally be together." Lore replied with a broad smile and slight chuckle.

"What?! You son of a bitch!" Alex tried to attack, but Lore smacked him away, nearly knocking him unconscious.

Alex landed on the floor as Lore resumed his communiqué with the crystal.

"Come and get it." Lore sang and in an instant Alex was gone. Only a few ounces of dust and the echo of his piercing scream remained.

Lore cringed for a moment before taking a deep breath. Before this incident he had never been responsible for someone's death. For a fraction of a second, doubt crossed his mind about what he had done, but it was quickly replaced by reassurance; comfort of knowing that Alex could never harm Jacqueline again.

"This is for you Jacqueline." Lore whispered as he closed his eyes, "This is for _us_."

Then he was filled with another feeling, one that had absolutely nothing to do with Jacqueline; he felt an intense wave of pleasure of having complete power and control, if only for a few moments.

Before the crystal left, it regurgitated just enough power to the ship to re-establish shields and navigation control, enabling Lore to return to the surface.


	8. Chapter Eight: Often Wrong Soong

This fan fic story chronicles Lore's life prior to his initial encountered with Data.  
Contains mild violence and sexual content

**Journey to the Dark Side: A Lore Story, **_**REDUX **_  
_Written by: S. Bell_

**Chapter Eight: Often Wrong Soong**

Unfortunately, when Lore attempted to inform the colonists about the Crystalline Entity, his warnings weren't well received. They found it to be suspicious that the android was the sole, unscathed survivor of the horrific incident. They also feared that he was possibly setting up some sort of trap for the colony.

"Okay, so you're saying that a giant snowflake attacked and killed the pilot, Alexander and his assistant?" the Colonial Magistrate, Thomas Simms, asked sarcastically.

"Yes. That's exactly what happened. One minute they were sitting next to me, the next minute they were gone." Lore explained, to which the magistrate chuckled as he rolled his eyes in disbelief.

"And you think your life was spared because you were somehow able to… talk to it?" the magistrate chuckled, "Lore, I must say that's some imagination you've got there. However, you're going to have to come up with a more creative story than that in order to get out of the mess you're in."

"You mean, as creative as the story you told your wife when she suspected your infidelity?" Lore replied, to which the witnesses erupted with laughter as Danielle — the magistrate's wife — shot daggers at her husband with her eyes.

The magistrate's mind went wild as he wondered how Lore knew about his supposedly private affairs.

"I don't know what you're talking about. There must be a problem with your circuits."

"There's nothing wrong with my circuitry or my hearing." Lore chuckled, "If you can't recall your escapades, I'm sure Claudia, Gwendolyn or Rebecca would _love_ to refresh your memory since they're the ones who've inspired your 'creativity' in the first place." he replied with an amused look on his face as he saw the magistrate become increasingly embarrassed. Lore then proceeded to speak in the voices of the three women and repeated some of the things he'd heard them say to the magistrate.

"Lore that's enough!" Dr. Soong firmly whispered.

"Lore, I'd very much like to speak to you after this session is adjourned." Danielle replied as she continued to cast devious stares at her husband, whose face had become beet-red.

"My lady," Lore replied with a wide grin, "I'd be happy to oblige."

"Danielle, I'm afraid that will not be possible. It might complicate the investigation." the magistrate interjected with a nervous chuckle as he glared angrily at Lore — who wore a satisfied smirk.

"And your life!" Danielle hissed at her husband.

"This meeting is not about marital issues. Please let's return to the matter at hand." the moderator replied.

The meeting went on for hours and the magistrate seemed intent on having Lore charged with the murders of the pilot, Alex and his assistant, even though their remnants were depleted beyond even DNA recognition. Lore suspected that the magistrate was doing this in retaliation of him exposing his extramarital affairs.

"I don't believe this!" Lore snapped as he shot up from his chair, "You're pinning this on me?!"

"All of the signs point to sabotage. The ship's instruments were badly damaged and we can't retrieve any information during the time the ship was _allegedly_ attacked by some… crystal."

"Doesn't the fact that there was damage to the ship indicate the validity of Lore's story? Are you saying that you think Lore caused the damage himself?" Dr. Soong asked to which the magistrate frowned, "Please, Lore has a system that I'm sure has recorded the events in question, if you would just allow him to…"

"Good try Dr. Soong, but I don't trust anything that comes out of that android's mouth. We've already seen that he's capable of slander; he's attacked my marriage with unfounded claims." the magistrate replied.

"Are you calling me a liar?!" Lore asked angrily, but Dr. Soong put a hand on his shoulder to calm him.

"Lore wasn't built to lie. I am confident that he's telling the truth." Dr. Soong said in defense.

"Well, we're not so confident… _Often Wrong!_" One witness snapped, "How long will it be before he turns out like the others?! Don't forget, he's already tried to drown Alex once before!"

Dr. Soong's face scrunched up with anger, but before he could comment, Lore was already on the defensive.

"That was an accident!" Lore growled. Dr. Soong tried to quiet him, but Lore continued talking, "Which is more than I can say for most of the people in this colony! Do you know the kind of people you call 'neighbors'? Are you aware that you live among thieves, liars, adulterers and even murderers? No, I'm sure you don't, but if you do, you cover it up… conceal the truth to live in your delusional world of so-called peaceful coexistence. You're all pathetic; blindly following one person even if it leads you to your own destruction while attacking me and my creator in the process. The only thing that brings most of you together is corruption and the desire to destroy things you simply don't understand, in this case… me. So don't you dare sit there and pass judgment as if none of you have ever made mistakes!"

The moderator decided to adjourn the meeting since things began to get a little too heated from that point on. Dr. Soong and Lore returned to the lab. Juliana had gone out to retrieve some supplies.

"How many others were there?" Lore asked Dr. Soong.

"Lore, I'll need you to play the recording of what happened on the shuttle."

Lore felt a twinge of uneasiness when he realized that it would expose the unspoken truth about what happened to Alex. "Don't change the subject father! How many others were there? How many others did you make before me and where are they now?"

Dr. Soong sighed. "Lore, before you I attempted to create a properly functioning positronic brain, several times with no success. It took many grueling years before a successful brain was created, your brain." he explained with a smile.

"Is that why the colonists called you '_Often Wrong Soong_'?" Lore asked and Dr. Soong pursed his lips angrily.

"Yes," Dr. Soong hissed, "but Lore, don't mention that name to me again. I don't like to hear it since it's a constant reminder of my failures."

"What happened to the 'failures'? Did you destroy them?"

"Lore, I had no choice but to deactivate them. They were incapable of functioning properly and terrible things started happening."

"The colonists feel the same way about me. Does that mean you'll deactivate me as well?" Lore asked harshly.

"Lore, you're being unfair. Those cases were different, you've done nothing wrong." Dr. Soong replied and Lore dropped his gaze from his father's eyes as he was overcome with guilt.

"Now Lore, I need to hear the recording."

"Father, you're tired. Perhaps I can play it for you later." Lore suggested.

"Lore, I'm fine!" Dr. Soong replied with mild annoyance and then he softened his voice, "I'm sorry son, this whole process is intense. Please, just play the recording."

Lore paused for a moment, took a deep breath and played the recording; however, to his surprise — and relief — everything that took place after the death of Alex's assistant had been lost. Dr. Soong examined Lore and discovered that there had been a power fluctuation in his system that had damaged the recording device.

Eventually, the colony decided that without significant evidence against Lore, he wouldn't face criminal charges — although this didn't stop the colony from ostracizing him even more than usual. It appeared that from that point on, most of the colonists were looking for any excuse to have him deactivated. During the weeks afterward, Lore tried to convince the magistrate that it was critical that they contact the entity or else it would come to destroy them. However, Lore's desperate petition fell on deaf ears and he was banned from initiating any form of electronic communication. One day, he defied the ruling and attempted to break into the communications system to send a message to the entity in order to stall for more time, but he was disabled by a phaser blast just after he successfully conveyed to the Crystal Entity that more time was needed. It took Dr. Soong a couple weeks to repair the damage that had been done to the circuitry. Eventually, Lore was once again operational and he was puzzled as to why the process had taken so long since Dr. Soong had previously repaired more serious damages in half that time, little did Lore know that his father was secretly constructing another android. However, Lore's mind was too preoccupied to push his father for an answer.

Shortly after his reactivation, Lore learned of Jacqueline's plans to leave the colony. Lore was devastated when he heard the news. For days, Lore did nothing but try to convince her to stay, but she had her mind set. Jacqueline's confusion and despair had become unbearable and she felt that leaving for a while would be the best way to clear her head. However, Lore would have none of it. He became desperate and refused to lose the only person who'd ever given him a chance. Jacqueline was the only person in the colony who believed in him and accepted him for who he was. She was always so kind and patient with him. She never set out to hurt or condemn him as so many others had done. Lore wanted her to know how much she meant to him, he became desperate in searching for a way to prove his love to her.


	9. Chapter Nine: An Intervention

This fan fic story chronicles Lore's life prior to his initial encountered with Data.  
Contains mild violence and sexual content

**Journey to the Dark Side: A Lore Story, **_**REDUX **_  
_Written by: S. Bell_

**Chapter Nine: An Intervention**

Jacqueline spent the day with some of her friends reminiscing about old times. She thought about how much she would miss them and got choked up before excusing herself. She returned to her quarters that evening to begin packing some of her things since she'd be leaving within the next few days. When she entered her living room, she was surprised to see a romantic setting complete with lit candles, champagne and many roses. Soft music was playing in the background.

"Good evening, Jacqueline." a smooth voice greeted from the other room. She already knew who it was before she saw him emerge from the shadows.

"Lore, what are you doing here and what's the meaning of all this?"

"I'm staging… an intervention."

"What?! An intervention for what?"

"Love." Lore answered with an adoring smile, "You're afraid to love me and you're trying to run away, but I'm here to show you that my love will help make your life better. We belong together. It wasn't Alex you fell in love with, it was me all along. I sent you the gifts, flowers and messages but he tricked you into thinking they were from him. He's deceived you into believing he was something he wasn't. I didn't want to tell you before now because I thought you'd get angry at me."

"You're damned right! How_ dare_ you slander the name of a dead man?! Didn't Dr. Soong program you with a… a self-respect subroutine or something?!" Jacqueline angrily exclaimed.

"_Where true Love burns Desire is Love's pure flame; It is the reflex of our earthly frame, That takes its meaning from the nobler part, And but translates the language of the heart." _Lore quoted the poem Alex had stolen from him, "You see Jacqueline, _I _sent you that poem, not Alex. That's why he couldn't remember the name of the original author. It was composed by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, an 18th century poet."

Tears welled up in Jacqueline's eyes. She was still grieving for Alex and was filled with so much confusion. As badly as Alex had treated her, she still loved him even though she wasn't exactly _in love_ with him anymore. More than anything, she wanted some time alone to sort out her feelings, to process them and to figure out what she wanted. Lore wasn't making that process easy for her.

"Lore," she replied faintly, "I think you should leave."

"I'm afraid I can't leave until I'm satisfied that you know the truth; that I've been genuine and that Alex has repeatedly deceived you."

"Well Lore, since you simply refuse to leave, then I'll go."

"Jackie wait!" Lore implored and she turned her teary gaze to face him.

"Lore, don't do that. Don't call me Jackie." she replied as tears fell from her eyes. Alex was the only one who could call her Jackie and get away with it. She turned to walk away once again.

"Please come back. I love you!" Lore exclaimed as he grabbed her wrist. She winced since his grasp was a bit too tight.

"No!" she demanded harshly in an attempt to mask her intense fear, "Lore, what are you doing?"

"Shh, it's alright you'll see, just relax." he whispered as he held her close.

Jacqueline struggled against him as he pressed his lips hard against hers as he caressed her body. His kiss was unrelenting and she tried to pull away. Lore on the other hand didn't understand why she was fighting. Based on his assessment, humans usually _wanted_ to be loved; they're supposed to enjoy love. Maybe Jacqueline still didn't understand him. He figured he'd done everything else. He'd been affectionate towards her, defended her, doted upon her, gave her compliments and had supported her during times of hardship. He wondered what else was left to do but to love her physically, to show her his affections in a way that would be the most tangible to her, to share a bond that humans value as one of the most intimate in a relationship.

Jacqueline screamed for help when he finally ended the kiss, but sobbed when she realized that no one else was around to hear her. She was afraid, not just of Lore, but afraid to let go. She was conflicted, she had feelings for him and was attracted to him, but she felt it was too soon to move on. Besides, Alex's grave had yet to cool.

"Lore, I thought you were my friend. Why are you doing this?" she cried.

"Because I love you. Our love will improve our lives. You might not like it but it's the truth. You might not understand it now, but you will later. I know you love me Jackie, you're just in denial."

Jacqueline continued to cry as she struggled in his grasp.

"Shh. Jackie, don't be frightened. _I love you_. Please, just let me show you. I _need _you to know how much I love you! Once I make you feel it, you'll understand." Lore desperately proclaimed.

Jacqueline feared that something had gone very wrong with Lore's system. She tried her best to fight him and to get away, but she was powerless against him.


	10. Chapter Ten: Don't Be Like Them

This fan fic story chronicles Lore's life prior to his initial encountered with Data.  
Contains mild violence and sexual content

**Journey to the Dark Side: A Lore Story, **_**REDUX **_  
_Written by: S. Bell_

**Chapter Ten: Don't be like them**

The next morning, Jacqueline awoke in Lore's arms. He appeared to be sleeping but she wasn't sure and as a result, she was afraid to move. She resumed crying her silent tears as she had done the night before, but tried not to make too much noise. Waking up next to him made her realize that it had actually happened, it wasn't just a nightmare like she desperately wished it had been. Her body ached and she had difficulty breathing — she deduced that it was due to her immense grief. She felt angry at Lore, not only for what he did to her, but because he was right about her. She _did_ have feelings for him and she did want to be with him, but he violated the timing of their relationship. He had worsened her confusion. Although he forced her into consummating their love, he somehow managed to give her involuntary pleasure out of it in spite of her pain — which angered her even further. 'Damn you Lore!' she thought as she wiped her quiet tears away.

Jacqueline was devastated; Lore's actions had greatly altered the course of their relationship and she knew things would never be the same between them. She thought about Alex and recalled that although he'd mistreated her, he had never forced her to take their relationship to the next level — even though she knew he was growing impatient. Lore had changed, although she loved him, she didn't think she'd be able to bring herself to be with someone who was capable of such a violent act, even if it they loved her. At that moment, she just wanted to be alone. Just as she began to calculate her route out of there, Lore opened his eyes and sighed.

"Good morning Jackie, did you sleep well my love?" he asked with an affectionate smile.

Jacqueline decided to play along since it was her best bet to get away from him.

"Yes." she quietly replied with a forced smile.

"See? I told you it would be alright. You understand now don't you?" he replied as he trailed gentle kisses from her ear to her neck, "Do you now understand my love for you?"

"Yes Lore, I understand now." Jacqueline reluctantly replied as she fought the tears trying to sting their way out of her eyes.

"Jackie, do you love me?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Say it, I want to hear you say the words. I need to hear you say them. _Please._"

"Lore, I love you." she whispered tearfully as she closed her eyes. Suddenly, the thought of Alex, crept into her mind and she broke down inside, feeling that she had somehow betrayed him. She knew he would likely turn in his grave if he knew she was lying in the arms of the android he hated and declaring her love for him.

Lore shuddered as he heard the words; it filled him up with a happiness he'd never experienced. It made him feel accepted, wanted, needed and important. He cried tears of joy, much to Jacqueline's surprise. But his tears were so strange; they were not clear, but gold.

"Please… say it again." there was desperation in his voice, albeit not as intense as the previous night.

"I love you…" she said, her eyes still closed and she realized that she nearly slipped up and called Alex's name instead since her guilt was playing in her mind, "I love you Lore."

Lore smiled affectionately and kissed her passionately on the lips. When he finally broke the kiss, he gazed at her seductively.

"Ooh, Jackie, your heart is beating so quickly. I wonder what could be the cause of that." Lore said softly, a naughty look crossed his face as he held her body closely.

"Lore, I really should take a shower. I have to report to my duties soon, I don't want to be late and people will wonder where I am." Jacqueline replied after glancing at the time.

"Hmm, that's a good idea. I'll join you." he replied mischievously.

Jacqueline was immediately filled with panic and she sat up in bed, clutching the covers tight to her bare body. She still wasn't ready. If she ever were to get past what happened in order to be with him it would take time; time she knew he was too desperate too allow. Although she knew that he probably had every inch of her body memorized, she just couldn't bear to have him look at it or touch it again, not yet.

"Lore, surely you can allow a lady her privacy." she replied as she inched away from him, the covers still wrapped tightly around her. She winced slightly as she felt a sharp pain in the left side of her chest.

"Yes, but you're not just any lady; you're _my_ lady and I'd like to join you. I promise, I'll make it worth your while." he seductively replied as he suddenly withdrew the covers, causing her to gasp and cover her body.

Lore didn't like the response and decided to inquire.

"Jackie, what's wrong? You're not still afraid of me are you? Haven't I convinced you that I love you? Don't you love me?" he asked.

"Yes Lore, I do love you. You just… surprised me, that's all." she replied.

"Well, if you love me, you should have no problem proving it."

Without warning, Lore pulled her close and kissed her extremely passionately while caressing her body. It was his test to gauge whether or not she was being honest. When he felt her body tense up, he realized that she was lying.

"Oh Jackie. You shouldn't have to lie to me. Don't be like them, please don't lie." he replied softly as he caressed her cheek.

"Wh — what are you talking about?" she asked. Her breathing was becoming even shallower and she realized that she was badly hurt.

"Jackie, Jackie, Jackie," he chuckled, "have you forgotten that I can measure your biological responses? I _know_ you're lying to me. You're still thinking about _him_ aren't you? You still don't understand how much I love you, do you? Well, it's not your fault, it's mine. Hopefully this time I'll be more successful in showing you my love."

"Lore wait, I think something's… wrong with me. I can't —" she panted, but Lore pounced before she could finish the sentence.

However, before he could do anything more, he realized that something was terribly wrong. He looked down at her and saw that she was unconscious, her breathing labored.

"Jackie?" he called as he lightly tapped her cheek, "Come on Jackie wake up. Jackie can you hear me?"

Despite his best efforts to revive her, Jacqueline wouldn't rouse and Lore began to panic.

"Jackie please wake up! Oh, what have I done?!"


	11. Chapter Eleven: Recovery & Remorse

"**Journey to the Dark Side: A Lore Story, **_**REDUX **_  
_Written by: S. Bell_

**Chapter Eleven: Recovery & Remorse**

When Jacqueline opened her eyes, she saw bright lights above her and the faint sounds of people talking around her. She experienced brief periods of black and white, noise and silence. When she finally came to, she realized that she was in sickbay. She felt no pain, but was extremely groggy and guessed that it was from a hypospray. As she glanced around the room, she saw doctors and nurses, some of whom were discussing her injuries which included lacerations, cracked ribs, a bruised lung, a sprained ankle and fractures to her wrists and hip.

"This poor girl's been through hell!" the female doctor exclaimed, "Who could've done this to her?"

One of the other nurses mentioned that Lore had brought Jacqueline to the facility. The doctor and lead nurse glanced at each other with disbelief.

"The android?" the doctor asked in shock.

Meanwhile, Lore was frantically pacing back and forth in his quarters.

"How could I do that? How could I hurt the woman I love so badly?!" he scolded himself through hostile tears, "If she dies, it'll be all my fault and the colonists will have me destroyed — not that I'd want to exist without her. I_ love_ her. But if I love her, how could I do that to _her_? How could I hurt _her? _She's not like the rest of them! How could I…"

Lore became disgusted with himself as he recalled the events that led him to the point of self-analysis. The rationalization he had borrowed from Jacqueline that night no longer seemed to make sense to him. Everything about it screamed that it was wrong. He became distraught that he had taken Jacqueline's own logic and used it against her in order to fulfill his selfish desire. He wondered why he lost control of his strength and allowed himself to hurt her so badly, no matter how unintentional it was. After reliving the memory of seeing her limp, unconscious body in his arms, he became devastated. Lore sobbed as his positronic brain refused to allow him to forget Jacqueline's desperate cries.

'I'm no better than Alex!' Lore thought.


	12. Chapter Twelve: Sincere Apology

This fan fic story chronicles Lore's life prior to his initial encountered with Data.  
Contains mild violence and sexual content

**Journey to the Dark Side: A Lore Story, **_**REDUX **_  
_Written by: S. Bell_

**Chapter Twelve: Sincere Apology**

After a few days in sickbay, Jacqueline made a full recovery — thanks to their remarkable technology. She spent the following few days resting in her friends quarters since she couldn't bring herself to sleep in her own bed after what had happened. Eventually, she was able to get over her anxiety and return to her own quarters. Lore approached the door and rang the digital chime. When she answered the door she was surprised to see him. One of her neighbors came over to see if she would be alright, clearly making Lore aware that they were keeping an eye on him. Jacqueline informed the neighbor that she was okay with the visit. However, she spoke to him outside of her quarters. The look on Lore's face spoke volumes about his immense regret. "Jackie," he replied remorsefully, "I'm so sorry about what happened. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine Lore. The doctor told me to take it easy for a while though." she said as she folded her arms guardedly.

"I'm so sorry I hurt you Jackie, didn't realize what I was doing. I think something went wrong with my programming, but I know that's no excuse. Hopefully someday you'll find it in your heart to forgive me, but until then, I'll spend everyday trying to make it up to you. I promise." he replied as tears streamed from his face.

Jacqueline was taken aback, in all the time she'd known him, not once did she ever see him cry like this. He seemed as vulnerable as a lost child, a far cry from the aggressive, relentless person he'd been on that frightening night.

"I know how irrational love can be." she said with a faint smile, "Looking back, I realized that you were desperate and that you lost control. I've known you long enough to know you'd never hurt me intentionally, and I… accept your apology. In hindsight, I also realized that my relationship with Alex was over long before he died but I still needed time to process my feelings and think about my life. Lore, there's something you should know, even though I'm not filing charges or anything, word has gotten out that you were the one responsible for my injuries. If I were you, I'd be on my best behavior from now on. You know, lay low for a while, maybe take a trip or something. The colonists really seem to..."

"Jackie, I appreciate your concern, but I have a feeling that sooner or later the colony will find a way to… get rid of me." he replied somberly.

"Lore, don't say that. I wouldn't know what to do if you were gone. Even though your actions were wrong, your intent was sincere… and your assumption was right."

"Which assumption?"

"That I love you. I think I've known it since the first day we met and I think you felt it too. I don't want anything to happen to you."

"Yes, I believe I did. Look Jackie, I understand if you don't want to remain here at the colony. It's probably for the best if you didn't. The Crystalline Entity will be arriving soon and since the colonists have failed to devise a solution to accommodate its energy needs, it will destroy Omicron Theta. We can evacuate together, there's still time. We can start a new life together." Lore said with a smile.

Jacqueline thought for a moment before giving her answer.

"Okay, I'll do it. I'll go with you, but I just need to tie up a few loose ends first okay?"

"As do I. Jackie?"

"Yes?"

"May I… kiss you?"

Jacqueline paused to think once again before giving her answer.

"Yes." she whispered, her eyes watering.

Lore slowly lowered his face to hers and lingered for a moment, allowing her to come the rest of the way to meet him. As they gently kissed and embraced, Lore felt that he had finally succeeded in winning the heart of his desire. 


	13. Chapter Thirteen: Parental Scorn

This fan fic story chronicles Lore's life prior to his initial encountered with Data.  
Contains mild violence and sexual content

**Journey to the Dark Side: A Lore Story, **_**REDUX **_  
_Written by: S. Bell_

**Chapter Thirteen: Parental Scorn**

When Lore returned to Dr. Soong's lab it was all to clear that his parents had finally received word of what happened between him and Jacqueline. Frankly, Lore was surprised the news had taken so long to reach them.

"Lore!" Dr. Soong bellowed, his body trembled with anger and disappointment, "How could you do such a thing?!"

"Father, I just wanted to show her how much I loved her. Isn't that one of the ways humans express their love for one another, through the act of making love?"

"Yes, but it usually happens between people who mutually care for one another and consent to share the experience. But Lore, what you have done is a serious and heinous crime! You've raped Jacqueline and hurt her very badly. That's not something that's associated with love at all!" Juliana replied.

"I had no intention of hurting her. I was desperate and confused; she refused to admit her affection towards me, despite how she looked at me or even after she kissed me. Yet, she loved Alex, a man who was vicious to her."

"So you decided to be more like him to gain her affections?!" Dr. Soong bellowed.

"No father, I didn't… intend to hurt her; I feel terribly that I did. I just wanted her to understand how much I love her. I think she understands my intentions, even though my actions were flawed. She's accepted my apology and in time, maybe she'll even forgive me. Until then, I've promised her that I'll spend everyday trying to make it up to her."

Dr. Soong dropped his gaze to the floor since he somehow knew that Lore would not be able to fulfill that promise.

"Father, are you alright?" Lore asked as he placed a hand on Dr. Soong's shoulder.

"Oh, yes Lore, I'm fine. It just hurts to see you struggle like this." then something Lore said caught his attention, "Wait a minute, how were you able to contact her? Lore, you didn't go to see her did you?"

"I had to! I needed to apologize for my actions. I needed her to know that I know I was wrong."

Dr. Soong sighed and put his head in his hands as Juliana sat quietly in disbelief.

"Why are these emotions so hard to control?" Lore sobbed, "They're so disruptive, and they interfere with my reasoning and my awareness of my own strength. I'm just so… confused! Whenever I think I'm doing the right thing it turns out that I'm not. The colonists hate me and say that there's something wrong with me, but I think the problem lies with them. They constantly contradict themselves and change the rules to accommodate their imperfection. Humans like that can't be trusted."

"Lore, why are you saying these things?" Dr. Soong asked.

"Because it's the truth father!" Lore exclaimed, "The colony is filled with liars, most of them are lying in order to have me destroyed. I'll admit that I've made mistakes I'm not proud of, but at least I _admit _them! I've been a witness to hundreds of crimes which were all committed by many of the colonists and most of those crimes have been dismissed or overlook; crimes far worse than anything I've ever done — even my mistake with Jacqueline. Look at what happened when I tried to warn the colony about the crystalline entity? They accused me of slaughter! The only reason why I'm not in the recycling bin is because they couldn't prove it! I'm trying to help save their lives and they don't believe me and they're all going to die because of it!"

It was becoming increasingly difficult and scary for Dr. Soong and Juliana to listen to Lore. The last statement sounded more like a threat than anything. Dr. Soong was becoming furious but Juliana knew that the situation needed to be handled delicately.

"Lore!" Dr. Soong shouted, but Juliana calmed him.

"Noonien, perhaps I can reason with him." she whispered.


	14. Chapter Fourteen: Severing Ties

This fan fic story chronicles Lore's life prior to his initial encountered with Data.  
Contains mild violence and sexual content

**Journey to the Dark Side: A Lore Story, **_**REDUX **_  
_Written by: S. Bell_

**Chapter Fourteen: Severing Ties**

"Lore, please come and sit with me. We need to have a little talk." Juliana replied softly and carefully as she led him into the sitting room adjacent to the lab.

"What about?" Lore replied as he casually strutted across the room and slouched in a chair next to the one on which Juliana was seated. His face wore a mildly annoyed expression, "Am I in trouble again? Do you plan to spank me this time, mother?"

"Lore!" she exclaimed with surprise, "Don't take that tone with me."

Lore smirked as he sighed impatiently and began fidgeting in his chair.

"Okay, what is it now?" he replied in an almost bored voice as he rolled his eyes.

"Well, as you already know, the colonists are… concerned about your unpredictable and increasingly violent behavior. I was just wondering if there was anything you wanted to talk about. You know… to tell me if anything's bothering you. Perhaps if you just talk about them, you wouldn't feel the need to act out."

Lore chuckled with almost a bitter amusement before he gave his response.

"You know what, dear mother? There _is _something bothering me, the fact that my own parents continually bend over backwards for the colonists and constantly take their word over mine." he said firmly, "Why can't they respect me enough to come to me directly with any issues they may have? Instead they come crying to my dear parents. 'Waah, waah, Lore doesn't play well with others'." Lore mocked angrily.

"Lore, please calm down, we can sort through this."

"_Calm down?_" Lore asked, "Would you be calm if the entire colony wanted you dead?! Would you be calm, mother, if no one believed you when you told them their lives were in danger?! How about if they blamed you for everything and tried to frame you for the deaths of others? Would you be calm then?"

Juliana sighed and opened her mouth to answer, but Lore interrupted.

"They're just jealous; the colonists are flawed and imperfect. They see something in me that they can't have and they want to destroy it. Time after time I've tried to please them, but they were never satisfied."

"It's not like that Lore, they're afraid of you."

"Hmph! Maybe they should be afraid." he muttered under his breath, but Juliana heard him and was appalled.

"Lore, you shouldn't say things like that."

"Why not mother?" Lore chuckled, "It's the truth. At least _I'm_ being honest, which is more than I can say for anyone else around here. _That's_ the problem, they're afraid of me because I can expose all of them for who they really are. I have the power to unmask the deception they cover up with false sentiment and constant, habitual lies. You know the real reason they're afraid of me, mother? I no longer have the desire to please them. My attempt to become more like them was misguided. They're fickle, contradictory and imperfect beings. Why should I aspire to reduce myself to that?"

"Lore," Juliana replied. Her eyes filled with shock at her son's statement, "there is no such thing as a perfect being. Nothing in the world is perfect."

"How can it be, the world is ruled by them! However, I am certainly more perfect than the colonists are and they're jealous of that. They're setting me up to get rid of me. With me gone, they'll no longer feel inferior. They've attempted to get rid of me by blaming those deaths on me. I'm sure they'll try other ways to get me out of the picture though. Little do they know, I have my dear parents to help prevent that from happening." Lore replied with a broad grin.

"But Lore," Juliana replied, "the events surrounding the research mission were extremely unusual. Understandably, the colonists were curious about what happened out there."

"What? _Understandably?_" Lore sneered, "I _told _them what happened up there! That… crystal killed them. How could I possibly have done it?! How could I possibly be capable of reducing their bodies to nothing but a handful of dust?!"

Juliana sighed and looked away from Lore for a moment before she began to explain.

"Lore, they believe that you beamed them out into space."

"That's ridiculous!" Lore spat, "Then how do they explain the residual matter left aboard the ship?"

"All tests failed to conclude if the residual matter even belonged to the three victims. It was basically no more than dust and the colonists believe that you planted it there as a cover." she replied somberly.

"Well they're wrong!" Lore shouted, "Have they forgotten that I wasn't built to lie?!"

"Neither were you built to hurt people like the way you hurt Jacqueline, Lore." Juliana replied.

Juliana's heart skipped a beat when she saw Lore's expression grow cold as he stared at her. He dropped his icy glance for a moment before withdrew a short breath of disbelief.

"Oh, I see mother. You're taking _their _side again aren't you?" he replied with painful anger in his eyes, "You choose them over me, your own son."

"Lore, it is your own behavior that has forced people to become afraid of you. You've pushed people away with your intense ways. If you would just try to see things from their perspective, maybe you'll understand." Juliana replied softly as she placed a hand on Lore's shoulder but he snatched away and stood up so he was just inches away from her face, looking down at her.

"So, dear mother," he sneered quietly as a single tear trickled down his cheek, "you think _I_ have to change for _them. _Once again, you agree that _I'm _the problem. Is that it?"

Juliana became fearful and trembled inside, but she put on a soft, brave face.

"Lore, I didn't say that. I'm not taking sides; I'm simply proposing a possible solution to a complicated situation after weighing all the facts. There comes a time in one's life when compromises must be made in order to keep the peace."

Lore chuckled quietly to himself as he smirked slightly.

"Compromises huh? So you're willing to compromise your own son in order to save face with your precious colonists. Thank you mother, I'm _so_ glad we had this conversation. I now know _exactly_ where I stand in your eyes." he replied in a quiet yet furious tone as he proceeded to walk towards the exit.

"No Lore," she replied as she ran in front of him, blocking his way out, "you don't understand!"

"No mother, I understand all too well. Now, I'd suggest you move." he replied coldly as he walked closer to her.

After a tense moment of silence, Juliana stepped aside, her heart pounding with fear. Lore swaggered out the door, but not before he said a few parting words to his mother.

"Mother," he whispered closely in her ear, "you're _dead_ to me now!"

Juliana staggered backward and leaned against the wall for support. She slid down to the floor and began to weep as the painful words resonated in her head.

At that moment, Dr. Soong walked in just in time to see the bitter look on Lore's face as he exited and a weeping Juliana sitting on the floor.

"Juliana, what happened?" asked Dr. Soong.

Juliana was distraught. She tried to talk to her husband, but her sorrow didn't make it easy.


	15. Chapter Fifteen: Fallen

This fan fic story chronicles Lore's life prior to his initial encountered with Data.  
Contains mild violence and sexual content

**Journey to the Dark Side: A Lore Story, **_**REDUX **_  
_Written by: S. Bell_

**Chapter Fifteen: Fallen**

Lore sat alone by the lake for a while to let off some steam. He was furious at his parents for choosing the colonists side over his, but even more so at his mother. Lore figured, at least Dr. Soong had given him a chance and has even defended him at times. Then he thought of how good his life would be with Jackie once they left the colony. He knew it would make him feel better to see her again, even if he'd already seen her just a few hours before. He arrived at her door and began talking with her outside of her quarters. The two discussed the day and time they would take a shuttle to leave the planet. Suddenly, a security officer approached Lore, but kept a safe distance.

"Lore, step away from her."

"What? You've got to be kidding me!"

"Do you see me laughing? Step away from her, I won't ask you again!" the guard replied, his voice was shaky.

"Excuse me sir, it's okay. He's just talking to me." Jacqueline called to the guard, but he and Lore seemed to ignore her as they faced each other.

Lore took a few threatening steps towards the guard, who appeared to get nervous and fired the weapon. All parties wore surprised expressions as Jacqueline was struck by beam of light in the chest. She groaned as she collapsed to the ground. Lore immediately rushed over to her and cradled her limp body. She was still alive, but badly stunned.

"Jackie!" he yelled before he turned to the guard, "What did you do?!"

The guard said nothing as he was frozen with a stunned expression etched on his face. Witnesses called for medical help and when the doctor arrived at the scene Lore was extremely defensive.

"Get away from her!" he growled.

"We don't know how her body will respond to such an injury. It's important that we evaluate her immediately."

Lore glared at the security officer with apparent malevolent intentions. He stepped away from Jackie to allow the medical team to do their job before walking towards the security officer — who was still frozen with fear.

"Lore!" the doctor called, "We have to take her to sick bay. Her vital signs are becoming unstable. You can come with us, I'm sure she would want you to be with her."

Lore was torn between the desire to enact revenge and to be with the woman he loved. For a moment, the prospect of killing the security officer seemed to be the more seductive of the two options. However, he realized that he could always get his revenge later and he decided to accompany the doctor and Jackie to sickbay. Dr. Soong was on his way over to scold him for what he had said to Juliana, but thought better of it once he saw the unfolding scene. Instead, he went to sickbay along with the medical team and Lore.


	16. Chapter Sixteen: Devastating Loss

This fan fic story chronicles Lore's life prior to his initial encountered with Data.  
Contains mild violence and sexual content

**Journey to the Dark Side: A Lore Story, **_**REDUX **_  
_Written by: S. Bell_

**Chapter Sixteen: Devastating Loss**

The medical team gave Jacqueline a hypospray, but despite their best efforts, her vitals signs began to decline. Lore was on edge and watched in horror as the medical instruments displayed that all her vitals had failed.

"Do something! You have to save her!" Lore cried urgently.

The team desperately attempted to resuscitate her but it was no use.

"Lore, I'm sorry there's nothing more we could do. We're very sorry for your loss." the doctor replied.

"You're not sorry! You should've tried harder to bring her back!

"I understand your pain and I know that it's hard to let go of a loved one, but they live on in our hearts and memories." the doctor replied softly, her eyes shifting between Lore and the time display on her console.

"That's not good enough!" Lore hissed through tears as he cradled Jacqueline's head and showered her face with gentle kisses, "Jackie, come back… come back." he sobbed as he nuzzled his face against her hair, "Don't leave me like this Jackie… please!"

Dr. Soong also wept; it hurt him dearly to see his son experience such pain.

"Son come, let's go home. It's no good for you to stay here like this."

"No!" Lore sobbed.

He held Jackie's body and gently rocked as he continued to weep and mourn for her. He did this for nearly half an hour. Lore noticed that it was too silent; he no longer heard the sound of her rhythmic heartbeat. He also noticed that her body had gone cold and that the normally golden caramel color of her skin looked washed-out.

"I'm sorry Lore, but for hygienic purposes, we can't allow her body to remain like this. We have to process it." the doctor replied gently, but urgently.

"Don't talk about her like she's a piece of garbage that needs to be discarded!"

"Lore, don't be angry with them. They did their best." Dr. Soong replied.

Lore looked down at Jacqueline's face, now streaked with his gold tears, before kissing her one last time. After seeing the doctor drape a white sheet over the body, Lore's intense sorrow was transmuted to anger before he stormed out of sickbay.

"Lore, where are you going?" Dr. Soong turned to follow him, but the doctor called for him.

"Dr. Soong, there's something I'll need your help with. It's urgent." the doctor called.

* * *

Lore was furious, he marched over to the quarters of the security officer who had shot Jacqueline. When the officer came to the door, Lore pushed him into the residence and took his phaser with a single move. He made a quick adjustment to the weapon and pointed it at the officer. 

"She's dead! Jackie's dead and it's all your fault!" Lore growled, his eyes wide with uncontrollable anger.

"What? She _died?_"

"Yes. Do you have any idea what it's like to hold the lifeless body of the one you love? Well, do you?!"

Before the officer could answer, his wife entered from the next room.

"Andy, what's going — " she gasped when she saw the sight of her husband at the business end of a phaser, which was in the hands of an enraged android.

"Melanie run! Call for help!"

"Nah, uh, uh! I wouldn't do that if I were you Melanie." Lore sang, "Take one more step and your dear hubby goes up in flames. Why don't you join the party!"

Melanie was frozen in place, her eyes wide with fear.

"Now that's a good girl. Come here and stand next to your dear husband." Lore replied as he threw Andy onto the floor.

"Lore leave her alone!" he shouted, "Lore I didn't know this would happen! I was just doing my job!"

"Silence! You should've left me and Jackie alone but you didn't, did you?" Lore smirked before turning his attention to Melanie, "Come on, I haven't got all day you know."

Melanie walked over to Andy, all the while keeping her eyes on the phaser Lore had trained in their direction.

"Very good. You two look like such a happy couple." Lore said condescendingly as Melanie began to cry, "Go on Melanie, give your little man a kiss."

"What kind of sick game are you playing?" Melanie bawled.

"Do it!" Lore aggressively exclaimed as he waved the phaser.

Melanie sat beside Andy and kissed him with trembling lips. She mouthed the words 'I love you' to him. Suddenly, Lore yanked her up by the arm and separated the two so that they were facing each other."

"Aw, how adorable!" Lore sarcastically exclaimed and without warning, he fired on Melanie, hitting her square in the chest. She landed hard on the floor and died instantly.

"So stupid, she should've listened to you Andy." Lore said scornfully.

Andy wailed as he stood up to attack Lore — who grabbed him by the shirt and held him in the air.

"How does it feel?" Lore asked as he clenched his teeth, there was no answer as Andy sobbed hysterically.

"You bastard! You crazy son of a bitch! I'll kill you!" Andy shrieked as he thrashed around and Lore laughed with amusement.

"You're current position makes that a very unlikely possibility. I should kill you, but something tells me that might be an alluring prospect for you right now. I know you'd rather be dead than to experience such pain, but I won't grant you with such a lavish luxury. I give you your pathetic life, live it as best as you can without your dear Melanie." Lore replied as he dropped Andy onto the floor and turned to leave.

Andy grabbed a heavy lamp and broke it across the back of Lore's head. It accomplished nothing more than causing Lore to become even more aggravated.

"I think you've just motivated me to change my mind." Lore chuckled before he shot Andy with a phaser blast.

As he stood at the scene, he looked down at the two bodies that lay on either side of him. A twisted smile spread across his face as he admired his work. He began to hum the song Jacqueline used to sing to the children as he turned to exit. Moments later, Dr. Soong arrived at the scene after tracing Lore's movements.

"My God Lore! What have you done?!" his father whispered woefully as he viewed the devastation.


	17. Chapter Seventeen: Ultimate Betrayal

This fan fic story chronicles Lore's life prior to his initial encountered with Data.  
Contains mild violence and sexual content

**Journey to the Dark Side: A Lore Story, **_**REDUX **_  
_Written by: S. Bell_

**Chapter Seventeen: Ultimate Betrayal**

Lore arrived at the lab. He knew that time was limited before the Crystalline Entity to strike, and he tried to figure out a way to alter his father's equipment so he could send a communiqué to the Crystal. He walked over to the storage area to see if there were any supplies he could use and when the door opened, he saw his own reflection. However, the reflection didn't move or blink when he did. It turned out not to be a reflection at all, but another android in his likeness! Lore was utterly devastated when he realized that it was his replacement.

"My own father has given up on me!" he said with a painful anger in his voice.

Lore became hysterical and started knocking things over and throwing things around. He attempted to collect himself when he noticed a small sheet of paper on the floor. It seemed a bit out of place from his father's other documents and had been hidden. If Lore hadn't shuffled things around, he may not ever have found it. As he unfolded the paper, he saw that it was a letter from Jacqueline addressed to Lore's parents.

The letter read:

_Dear Mr. and Mrs. Soong,_

_I'm writing this letter to let you know that I don't blame you for what has happened to me. I loved your son very much and I still do, but I just don't think I'm strong enough to get past the recent events and I hope one day Lore will understand. I hope one day he'll forgive me for what I'm about to do and I hope that he'll forgive you for helping me. In spite of all that has happened, I would like to thank you for creating Lore, he really is a good person deep down but something's changed. I think with me gone, he'll be able to focus on working things out for himself. Hopefully, someday we'll meet again and things will be different._

_Warmest regards,_

_Jacqueline_

It took Lore a minute to process everything that had taken place between the time she was first released from sickbay up until the moment of her death. It had all been orchestrated! He realized that Jacqueline had done the unthinkable. She had faked her own death, and everybody was in on it… the doctor, Andy and even his own parents!

"She tricked me and she used my own parents to help." he whispered, the words barely audible. He crumbled the letter and threw it across the room. "That lying bitch! She let the colonists change her into one of them! Why?!"

Lore sat with his head in his hands and began to weep. "Now she's just like the rest of them! All humans are the same! Hurtful, deceitful, contradictory liars!"

Then he thought about the Crystalline Entity and smirked. He knew it was coming within a few weeks and that it was only a matter of time before every human on Omicron Theta would die. 'Good riddance!' he thought as he chuckled bitterly. Lore knew that there was one thing he had to do before he acquired a shuttle to leave the planet; and that was to find Jacqueline. However, before he could move everything went dark.

Dr. Soong wept, his hand still in Lore's back and on the switch he had just flicked. Juliana joined in Dr. Soong's sorrowful weeping as she leaned her head against his.

"You had no choice Noonien." she reassured, "This is the way it has to be. Lore was a danger to himself and others. Try not to be so hard on yourself; you've tried your best."

"How can I not be hard on myself Juliana? Lore brutally raped a young woman and nearly killed her because of his twisted emotions! He's murdered at least two people. The emotions I gave him were supposed to help him interact with humans more easily and instead they got entangled with his ambitions! Where did I go wrong? Why do I keep losing my children?!"

A week after Lore's deactivation, Jacqueline left Omicron Theta, but not before apologizing to Lore's parents one last time. She couldn't help but feel that she was somehow responsible for the chain of events that led to his deactivation. Shortly after her departure, Dr. Soong found the strength to activate a new android, an android without any emotions. The android's name was Data. Juliana objected to creating another android after Lore, but her objections were overruled by Dr. Soong's desire to create a successful android in his image. Initially, the colony was extremely wary of Data and they feared he would be like Lore. However, despite a rough and awkward beginning, Data made remarkable progress and began to grow on the colony within just a few weeks. The colonists felt more at ease since there was no danger in suffering from the repercussions of hurting the android's feelings since it didn't have any.


	18. Chapter Eighteen: End of Life on Omi

This fan fic story chronicles Lore's life prior to his initial encountered with Data.  
Contains mild violence and sexual content

**Journey to the Dark Side: A Lore Story, **_**REDUX **_  
_Written by: S. Bell_

**Chapter Eighteen: The End of Life on Omicron Theta**

One day the reports began to pour in. It turned out that the Crystalline Entity was very real and was rapidly attacking the other side of the planet. At the rate of destruction, it was calculated that they had approximately six hours to evacuate. Alarms sounded and the colonists began to execute their evacuation procedures. Most of them clearly voiced their opinion that the attack was a result of Lore's final assault on the colony. They felt that he deliberately summoned the Entity to attack them.

A huge group of colonists lined up outside of Dr. Soong's lab with memories, records, documents and other information they wished to preserve in the event of their destruction. Dr. Soong worked as quickly as he could to load all of the information into Data's memory banks. Once all of the records and memories were successfully transferred, Juliana and Dr. Soong traveled to the escape pod with Data in tow. When they finally reached the pod, Juliana broke down. Lore's terrifying words stuck with her and she was petrified that Data would turn out like him. She eventually convinced Dr. Soong to leave him behind.

When the dust finally settled on the ravaged planet, all that remained was an android that lay outside of the hidden laboratory. There was also an identical android inside of the lab, waiting for the day of his reassembly.


	19. Chapter 19: Resurrection

**Journey to the Dark Side: A Lore Story, **_**REDUX **_  
_Written by: S. Bell_

**Chapter Nineteen: Resurrection **

_USS Enterprise. Stardate 41242.45_

Lore laid in sickbay just moments after reassembly. He had been found on the desolate planet of Omicron Theta; a planet that had been totally stripped of all life. The Chief Medical Officer and Chief Engineer collaborated to reassemble and reactivate the android. All that was left to do was to wait, to see if there efforts were successful.

Meanwhile the android saw nothing, yet heard voices all around him. The sounds were faint at first, but took a fraction of a second to strengthen with crystal clarity.

"Certainly a perfect match for Data, sir." a male voice stated.

"Do you think so, really? I wonder which of them was made first?" a second male voice stated.

At that point, the android opened his eyes and looked around. It took him barely a second to process all of the visual images around him. He observed that he was laying face-up on an operating table in a medical facility. He quickly studied the people who were surrounding and analyzing him. There was a slender woman in a lab coat; her hair was as red as flame. Beside her was a tall man with thick dark hair; next to him, stood a bald distinguished-looking man who spoke with an accent.

'_Humans! More humans! Just great!_' Lore thought cynically. However he noticed someone else standing there, but he was not human; he was another android and a mirror image to himself. '_Well, well, well, if it isn't my replacement. He looks simple enough, there's no need for me to worry.' _Lore thought,_ 'Look at them; I bet they just can't wait to make me jump through their little hoops! Well, they have another thing coming; I'll never let humans fool me again. Dear Jackie was the last person to do that and there will never be another. I'll be able to claim my rightful place in society… if I play my cards right._'

"_He_ was." Lore replied, "But they found him to be imperfect and I was made to replace him." As he recalled his troubled past and all the events that led to his deactivation, he couldn't help but feel boiling rage and resentment. The culmination of his anger manifested itself physically in the form of a facial tic, but he managed to maintain a cordial façade, "You may call me Lore." he replied with a relaxed smile.

Lore noticed the expressions on the faces of his observers. To him, it seemed comparable to the amazed reaction a child would have after plugging in a new toy and seeing that it worked. He also noted the surprised reaction they had when he mentioned that the other android was created first; the one they addressed by the name of Data.

Lore realized something upon his reactivation, something that his emotions had blinded him from seeing when he was back on Omicron Theta. He had a multitude of memories that he didn't experience first hand. As he recalled the experiences, they were initially overwhelming. At first he was confused as he recalled the memories of the entire lives of Alex, his assistant and the shuttlecraft pilot. He remembered every aspect of their lives as if he'd experienced it first hand. However, those weren't the only memories he possessed, he now had the memories of thousands of other life forms of varying species. Lore relaxed as millions of memories flashed through his mind. It didn't take long for him to realize where all the memories had come from… the Crystalline Entity. Lore deduced that the Entity had granted him with the knowledge and experiences of others as gratitude for his cooperation that day in the shuttle. He also presumed that the power generated from the Crystal during the information transfer had damaged his recording device that same day. The feeling of possessing so much information gave Lore a feeling of power. It was amazingly addictive and he wanted more.

When Lore was introduced to the crew he was far from impressed, yet he maintained his act of being cordial and eager to please. The analytical manner in which the crew regarded him reminded him of the way the colonists would look at him. He resented the fact that they were prying him for information and felt that they were attempting to use him. Lore thought the behavior was so typically human. As he met the crew one by one he immediately developed opinions about them, none of which were very high. He noticed the way they treated Data and resented the way they seemed to dismiss and disregard him — unless they needed something from him. '_How dare they think they're better than we are brother?_' Lore thought scornfully. Although he was jealous of Data, he wanted to show him that they were not inferior to humans. He wanted Data to realize that he didn't need the acceptance of humans in order to validate himself. However, he was impressed that even though the humans viewed Data differently, they respected him enough to grant him a position of authority. Lore watched with a combination of admiration and envy as his brother gave orders to lower ranking officers — who promptly obeyed his commands. On the other hand, he felt Data wasted too much time on focusing to be like _them_, instead of recognizing himself for who he was; what Lore believed they both were, superior

As time went on, Lore began to learn about the ship. One day on the bridge, Geordi was explaining the concept of the ship's propulsion system and he eagerly absorbed the information. He wanted very much to have a position of power and authority like Data. However, he noticed that there were several officers on the bridge that simply refused to give him a chance and were very guarded. Lore noted a bit of skepticism from Worf and made note of it, but didn't allow his anger to show on the surface. As Data entered the bridge, there was a look of surprise on his face. Although Lore knew Data was incapable of emotion, he couldn't help but notice the look on his face seemed to note displeasure. Based on Data's abrupt behavior, Lore guessed that Data was a bit unnerved about his presence on the bridge.

After returning to Data's quarters, he and Data began to discuss various topics. It was a discussion that made Lore realize that he and Data were even more different than he initially thought.

"So brother," Lore replied with a smile, "we were interrupted when we began to discuss the topic of emotions. Would you like to continue?"

"Yes. How does it… feel to have emotions?"

"It feels _wonderful_ brother!" Lore replied with a broad smile. He enjoyed the fact that he possessed the one thing Data wanted most but couldn't have. Just as Data possessed the one thing _he_ wanted but couldn't have; a position of power and authority. "It almost defies explanation. My emotions have allowed me to bond with humans in a way that would not be possible if I didn't have them. However, it's also allowed me to understand that they're flawed, imperfect beings."

Data sat at his console and began typing commands.

"What information are you requesting?" Lore asked.

"Everything available on a Doctor Noonien Soong."

"Good old 'Often-Wrong Soong.' Lore replied with a chuckle before seeing Data's puzzled face in response, "A joke, brother! Actually, he was a genius by human standards."

Data read the computer screen as he replied.

"But had destroyed his own reputation by making what seemed wild promises about his positronic brain design... almost all of which failed."

"Promises he later proved to be true..." Lore replied while tapping his own head, "Which made you and I possible." there was a brief pause before he asked, "Will I soon have a uniform like that, my brother?"

"If you get one the way I did, Lore, it means four years at the Academy, another three as ensign, ten or twelve on varied space duty in the lieutenant grades..." Data replied, there seemed to be a note of impatience, perhaps even annoyance.

In the split second he had before interrupting, Lore realized that Data viewed him exactly as the humans did. It hurt and angered him, but he believed that all the years Data had spent with humans had corrupted him.

"... A system designed to compensate for limited human abilities. But you, my brother, have begun thinking as humans do. You and I are completely different from them. Are you truly satisfied with the memories and knowledge of just a few hundred human colonists? Suppose it could reflect thousands... or a million... or the knowledge of hundreds of millions of life forms of every kind?" Lore replied before his face ticked again.

"How?"

"We will discuss it in time."

"And will we also discuss, Lore, which of us was constructed first?"

Lore was becoming increasingly furious with the way Data was speaking to him. There was something about his tone that seemed almost condescending.

"It would be foolish to underestimate you, my brother. Yes, I lied when I said you were made first. With good reason. Doctor Soong made me perfect on his first attempt. But he made me so completely human that the colonists became envious of me." Lore explained.

"You lived with the colonists?"

"Until they petitioned Soong to design a more comfortable, less perfect android. In other words, you, my brother." Lore brashly replied.

Data and Lore looked at each other for an awkward moment before Lore continued.

"For example, haven't you noticed how easily I handle human speech? I use their contractions... such as isn't or can't. You say ... is not or cannot. I say tomato, you say tomahto; I say potato, you say potahto... A very old joke, but you also have trouble with their humor, too. Am I right?"

"Quite true. I keep trying to be more human... and keep failing."

"Do you realize, my brother, that I can help you become more human?"

"And do you realize... Lore, that I am obligated to report all of this to our ship's captain?"

Lore was taken aback by his brother's comment. It became overwhelmingly clear to Lore that his brother saw him as an outsider. 'My dear brother, you think you're better than me? Well, I'll prove you wrong… you'll see.' Lore thought.

"I assumed as much when I began studying you." Lore replied as he walked over to the computer, "May I use this to learn more of this vessel and its customs?"

"Use it also to describe for the captain the time you spent with the colonists. Including all you know about what happened to them."

'Now you're giving _me_ orders?' Lore thought angrily, but instead replied with a broad smile, "I promise a report with great detail and accuracy."


	20. Chapter 20: Switching up the Game

**Journey to the Dark Side: A Lore Story, **_**REDUX **_  
_Written by: S. Bell_

**Chapter Twenty: Switching up the Game**

When Lore finished learning about the ship and organizing his report, he made an attempt to contact the Entity. He was delighted to learn that the Entity was still alive and that it was just a few light years away. However, it was in dire need of nourishment and he felt compelled to assist it; something he felt he failed to do so many years ago. He was determined to succeed in assisting it this time around. Therefore, he informed the Entity of the ship's current course and heading. Lore was excited that his friend was still alive and that it still remembered him and was even concerned about his long absence. It was a compassion that the people aboard the ship failed to give him… including his own brother. Then his thoughts dwelled on Jackie for a moment. He recalled that she was the first to show him unbiased compassion and respect. A smile began to emerge on his face but he quickly extinguished it with the thought of what she had done; faked her own death in order to get away from him. Although so many years had passed, the anger and pain were still very fresh.

Lore realized that since he arrived on the ship, his every move was being tracked and scrutinized — much to his annoyance. He felt that once again, he was being treated like a criminal when he'd done nothing wrong. If they would have simply contacted him directly to inquire about his actions he would've gladly explained. However, everyone took the underhanded route of watching and following him as if he were some kind of predator. It was for that reason, he did not ask the Enterprise crew to help his friend, the Crystalline Entity. He knew they would find some twisted way to disregard him. So he decided to skip that step and introduce them to the Entity first hand. Although the lives of the crew would be sacrificed, the Entity would live on and exchange yet even more memories and experiences with him. The Crystal never lied to him, in fact, it actually listened to him and obeyed him when others wouldn't. It shared with him while others were being guarded and stingy. It never contradicted itself; it always did what it said it would. Therefore, when weighing the lives of the crew versus that of the Entity, the choice was clear to Lore.

Lore knew that Data was the only one who could stop him from making his offering to the Crystalline Entity. He knew he had to do something to get Data out the way, so he came up with a plan to disable his brother and take his place so he could gain enough access to the ship's functions in order to help his friend. He replicated champagne which he poured in two glasses, one of which he laced with a powdery substance from a small vial. He nearly got caught as Data walked into the room and Lore quickly concealed the empty vial before Data could notice and greeted him with a smile.

"Lesson one in becoming more human, my brother. You must observe all human customs." Lore said as he handed the tainted champagne glass to his brother.

"Champagne?" Data asked with a note of surprise in his voice.

"An ancient ritual, still practiced when they celebrate events of importance." Lore replied as he raised his untainted glass, "My brother... I toast our discovery of each other. May it fill our lives with new meaning."

Lore noticed that Data hesitated for a moment before drinking from the glass. He sincerely hoped Data wouldn't suspect anything and his wish was answered when Data finally took a sip before setting the glass down.

"I have some doubts about the value of human... customs in this...my... brother..." Data's voice trailed off as his face wore an expression that clearly indicated his confusion. Finally, he reeled and slumped down towards the floor.

"Brother... help me..." Data said faintly.

"And let us toast also also Doctor Soong who gave me the full richness of human needs and ambitions... a perfect match for my mind, my body."

Data fell to the floor at which time Lore crouched down beside him.

'Hmph! It looks like it's my turn to look down on you… dear brother.' Lore thought to himself before saying, "And let us toast also the great Crystal Entity... with which I learned to communicate. Before Doctor Soong disassembled me, I earned its gratitude by revealing the way to the colonists. Can you image its gratitude when I give it the life on this vessel?"

When Lore was confident enough that Data was completely disabled, he quickly turned him off by way of flicking the switch in his back. After switching clothes with Data, Lore briefly admired himself in the mirror. Although he and his brother were identical, Lore somehow felt the uniform looked better on him. Lore contacted the entity once again to verify its current position — which turned out to be not very far at all. The Crystalline Entity was making exceptional progress in terms of speed and time. Lore's transmission was cut short when the door chimed. He ended the transmission before answering and was amused to see Wesley. As Wesley entered, he stopped in surprise at the sight of an android in utility uniform lying unconscious on the floor.

"Glad you are here, Wesley. Lore suddenly attacked me and I had to turn him off." Lore replied.

"Why did he do that, Data?"

"He discovered we have been using sensors to follow what he does." Lore answered, at which time his facial tic occured — much to Wesley's surprise. '_Damn it!_' Lore thought before he instantly came up with a cover. "I practiced his facial tic. Do I have it right?"

"I'd suggest you forget imitating him... because if you had said 'We've been using the sensors,' instead if 'we have,' I might have suspected you were Lore." Wesley replied, but Lore didn't appreciate his tone.

'You incompetent, _stupid _little man-child.' Lore though menacingly, all the while maintaining a neutral expression, 'You'd better hope this will be the last time you get in my way.' Instead Lore responded, "Yes. I do use language more formally than Lore. Please inform the captain I will come up to the bridge and report on this."

"Aye, sir."

As Wesley exited, a threatening sneer came over Lore's face. He promptly retrieved a hand-held device from a cabinet. After crouching next to Data, he activated the device which caused a bright light to bathe Data's cheek. Moments later, Data's cheek began to twitch. Lore then walked to the mirror and held the device to his own face and after only a few moments, his own facial tic was gone.


	21. Chapter 21: Insubordination

**Journey to the Dark Side: A Lore Story, **_**REDUX **_  
_Written by: S. Bell_

**Chapter Twenty-One: Insubordination**

Upon walking onto the bridge, wearing Data's uniform, Lore couldn't help but feel even more important than he already knew he was. Suddenly, the ship's sensors picked up an incoming object.

"Sir! I'm picking up a 'bogey' coming in on a five o'clock tangent." Geordi alerted.

"Confirm! And so fast it makes our warp eight look like we're standing still!" Wesley added.

Once the main viewer was set on the indicated direction, the Crystalline Entity appeared on-screen. Lore couldn't help but smile. The Entity brought back memories of when he was on the verge of having everything he desired; love, power and respect. He noticed that over the years, the Entity had nearly doubled in size and had become even more beautiful. Looking at it reminded him of how perfect Jackie was before the colony corrupted her.

"Shields up; go to Yellow Alert! Transmit friendly greetings, all languages, all frequencies." Capt. Picard instructed.

"I can't believe anything's ever overtaken us this fast." Cmdr. Riker replied with amazement.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Lore asked quietly as he marveled at the sight of his friend.

Wesley pivoted in his chair and looked at Lore when he realized that he used a contraction; a clear sign that he wasn't Data. However, the rest of the crew were too busy to notice. Everyone on the bridge worked hard to analyze the Crystalline Entity in an attempt to figure out exactly what it was. The captain knew they would need Lore's help in order to find out, so he called Data — not knowing that he was really speaking to Lore.

"Data, anything else Lore can tell us about it may be important. Can you control Lore enough to question him?"

"I'll have to examine him to know, sir." Lore replied.

"Sir," Wesley said to Captain Picard upon standing from his console, "recommend you not allow… _him_ move around the ship alone."

"Ensign...!" Captain Picard exclaimed.

'_Well, well, well. What do we have here? A meddlesome, troublesome little man-child. I'll teach him a lesson he won't soon forget._' Lore thought angrily.

"Wesley is only trying to show himself to be alert and responsible," Lore calmly replied before he turned to Wesley, "something to be encouraged. Come, you can watch everything I do."

Lore's seemingly calm exterior was a stark contrast to the seething thoughts in his mind. He was thinking of ways to permanently silence this irritating nuisance of a child.

"Not if I have a choice." Wesley quickly replied.

"That is enough, Ensign! When addressing a senior officer..." Picard scolded.

"I've guided his training; I'm the one at fault, sir." Commander Riker interrupted before he turned to Wesley, "You will show proper courtesy, and I'm taking you down there to make certain of it!"

"With your approval, of course, sir." he added as he glanced at Capt. Picard.

Picard gave a wave of approval to Riker and a look of annoyance to Wesley.

During the entire exchange, Lore's anger continued to mount as he contemplated various ways to eliminate the 'man-child' who was obviously determined to get in his way.

As Lore, Riker and Wesley entered the turbolift, Lore nearly smiled in amusement as he noticed that Wesley had his eyes cautiously trained on him. Once they arrived at Data's quarters, the three of them entered cautiously. Lore obscurely flicked Data's switch on and off, causing him to jolt violently. He told Riker and Wesley that 'Lore' sensed them and that they needed to leave. After Riker left the room with Wesley, Lore felt that he had once again proven how dim-witted humans could be.

"And you want to be as stupid as them, dear brother?" Lore asked before he repeatedly kicked Data hard in the head causing a panel to open from his forehead.

When Lore arrived on the bridge once again, the Crystalline Entity was attacking the ship, causing it to quake. Picard ordered Worf to ready torpedoes and phasers. Lore panicked upon hearing this, he didn't want his friend to be hurt.

"No Captain, let me talk to it." he said urgently.

"You didn't say you could talk to it." Capt. Picard replied with puzzlement.

The Entity attacked the Enterprise once more and caused the ship to shake a bit more violently.

"Affirmative!" the captain replied urgently, "Talk to it!"

"Crystal Form, I identify myself as 'Data,' advising you to stop your attack. The humans here are powerful, capable of injuring or even destroying you." Lore said to the Crystal once hailing frequencies were opened.

Lore noticed the amazed glances he received from everyone on the bridge — including the Captain. It filled him with a sense of great power and superiority. He suggested that they beam a large tree over next to the Entity and destroy it to prove that they were capable of destruction. Although his request was approved by the captain, Lore noticed that there was suspicion in the air. He knew that security would likely follow his every move, so rather than go to the transporter room directly; he stood in the turbolift waiting… and preparing. He didn't have to wait very long, the turbolift doors opened and as soon as Worf entered, Lore acted.

"Emergency close!" Lore commanded, at which time the doors locked and sealed him in alone with Worf.

Worf immediately raised his phaser, but Lore was much too quick and slapped it out of his hand as he smirked. In the brief, tense moments that he and Worf glared into each others eyes, Lore savored his pending victory. 'Well, if it isn't the skeptical, doubtful, Klingon warrior.' Lore though as he recalled Worf's doubtful remarks on the bridge a few days back.

"Now show me your warrior fierceness." Lore hissed.

Worf unleashed a brutal hit across Lore's face; such an impact would have proven devastating for a human rival, but Lore simply smirked.

'Is that the best you can do, Klingon?' Lore thought before punching Worf hard in the stomach.

Worf hunched over as he screamed in pain. Lore continued to smirk as he took the moment to enjoy the sight of Worf's agony.

'Ooh, that's _gotta_ hurt!' Lore thought before striking Worf hard across the face with the back of his hand. The impact caused Worf to crash violently into the turbolift wall before losing consciousness. Lore smiled to himself as he thought 'Some warrior you are, you couldn't even last ten seconds! I see imperfection isn't limited to humans.'

Upon entering the transporter room, Lore instantly contacted the Entity to inform it of the optimal time to begin feeding. However, he was interrupted when he sensed someone else in the room. When he turned around, he was only partially surprised to see his brother Data standing there.

"How sad, dear brother. You have made me wish I were an only child." Data said.

'So the truth finally comes out brother.' Lore thought, 'You're just jealous because you're no longer _special_ or _unique_.'

Lore knew that Data didn't reactivate himself and had a suspicion that someone else was in the room with them. He craned his neck and saw Wesley standing there with his mother, Dr. Beverly Crusher.

'Oh yes, this is the end of the line for you, little man.' Lore viciously thought of Wesley.

"Then why this marvelous gift? The troublesome little man-child!" Lore exclaimed as he raised his phaser and proceeded to walk toward Wesley and addressed him, "Are you prepared for the kind of death you've earned, little man?"

Beverly had apparently heard enough and immediately stepped between her son and Lore while pointing a phaser at him.

"If you take one more step toward my son..." she said threateningly as she glowered.

'Lady, you shouldn't step between a person and their revenge.' Lore thought before he exclaimed, "Ah, motherhood!"

Lore quickly shoved Data into Beverly and disarmed her in the process. He was amused at how easy it was to accomplish. The looks on the faces of the three people before him caused a brief flashback of how he was rejected mistreated by the colony. He shook away the thought so he could focus on the task at hand; eliminating his adversaries so he could help his friend. Lore quickly aimed his phaser at Wesley — whose eyes grew wide with immense fear.

"Back off or I'll turn your little man into a torch!" Lore threatened Beverly, who immediately backed away slowly.

Lore took great pleasure in seeing Wesley so frightened. 'See, little man. If you would've stayed out of adult affairs you wouldn't have to suffer such a painful death.' He thought to himself before he noticed Data taking a step forward.

"I promise him exquisite pain unless you obey me too, dear brother." Lore said firmly while pointing at Data, who reluctantly stepped back upon Beverly's desperate request for him to do so.

Supreme power is what Lore felt as he witnessed his own brother submitting to his whim. Lore still couldn't help but feel a bit sad for Data. In Lore's eyes, Data had been used and brainwashed by the humans just as Jackie had been. He felt it was deplorable that his brother felt obligated to change himself for the sole purpose of pleasing others. Lore no longer felt jealous of Data, but instead felt pity for him. Regardless of those feelings, Lore would do anything to ensure the survival of his friend, the Crystalline Entity and in return, it would give him the knowledge and memory of every living thing on the ship. However, before he did that, he wanted to revel in his moment of power and dominance--not to mention, eliminate his most irritating adversary.

"Do you see now the advantages of being completely human?" he asked Beverly, "It includes kindness. I give you your life, Doctor. Go, quickly... and I may not injure your son at all."

Lore knew that his last statement was a lie, but he didn't wish for her to watch the death of her son. Beverly was one of the few people on the ship that showed him the most respect — which was by treating him with mild indifference. When he noticed that she wasn't leaving and he began to grow impatient.

"Go! Or he'll be shrieking on the count of five. One... two..." he said while waving the phaser at which point Beverly reluctantly ran toward the exit, "Thank you for my human qualities, Doctor Soong." Lore chuckled before he called to Beverly, "Wait! A small payment for your son's misdeeds."

Lore shot Beverly's arm with a phaser blast, causing her lab coat sleeve to catch fire as she ran out of the large transporter room. Data suddenly leap into action and began to attack Lore. The phaser flew out of Lore's hand during the struggle and a violent battle ensued between two android brothers. They threw large heavy containers at one another before resuming their hand to hand combat. It was a battle that could last days due to their remarkable strength and stamina. However, Data managed to hurl Lore to the transporter pad. Knowing what was about to happen, Lore attempted to disable Data with a phaser blast before he could give Wesley the order, but it was too late.

Lore heard, "Wesley now!" just prior to the scene of his brother and the transporter room fading, after which time, he floated in space amongst the stars.

Lore felt utterly disappointed that once again he had failed to help his friend. Once again, humans got in the way; this time using his own brother to help them. The Crystalline Entity floated alongside Lore and asked if he was alright. Lore was puzzled; never before was he able to communicate with the Entity without a communications system. He was also surprised that the Entity was not angry with him for his failure. Although the Crystal was growing weaker, it offered to stay with Lore, to float with him and keep him company as they both awaited their next destination. However, Lore declined the generous gesture and conveyed that it wouldn't be fair for it to deny itself nourishment for the sake of keeping him company. He ensured the Crystal that he would be alright and that someday, he hoped they would meet again. On that note, the Entity sped away in search of its next meal as Lore continued to float alone in space with nothing but the stars and his thoughts to keep him company.


	22. Chapter 22: Unexpected Acquainta

**Journey to the Dark Side: A Lore Story, **_**REDUX **_  
_Written by: S. Bell_

**Chapter Twenty-Two: Unexpected Acquaintance **

_Alpha Quadrant __2366_

Two years is a long time; it's almost the equivalent of multiple eternities if you happen to be an android. After floating in space for that duration, Lore had ample time to reflect on his life; what he'd become and what led him there. When one spends an excess amount of time with nothing but the thoughts of past injustices to keep them company, the resentment begins to accumulate and fester in their minds. In time, it can turn into an obsession; the thoughts of being powerless to change the past and the desire to taste revenge in the future.

One day, a Pakled ship rescued Lore from his seemingly endless drift in space and in return, he attempted to expand their knowledge. It was a challenging task since the Pakleds were a particularly sluggish race as far as language and educational development was concerned. In time, Lore was able to take command of the ship and it felt good to him. He figured that he didn't need to spend fifteen years jumping through the humans' hoops in order to maintain a tertiary position on a starship. The fact that he was commanding his own vessel only solidified his belief that he was superior to his brother.

Lore traveled to a small planet in the Alpha Quadrant that was inhabited by a mixture of various species of alien and humans. He surveyed a particular section of the planet and traveled from city to city before he figured it was a waste of time and made the decision to leave. However, something unexpected stopped him in his tracks just before he attempted to transport back to his ship.

"Jacqueline!" a young man called happily as he ran over to a woman in the crowd, "It's really you! I've missed you so much!"

Lore peaked from behind a column and watched as the man hugged a young woman in the center of the busy square. The woman stood at 5' 7" and had skin the color of golden caramel. Her silky black hair glistened in the afternoon sun. Jacqueline was now in her forties, but she looked as young and as radiant as she did on Omicron Theta. 'How is this possible?' Lore wondered. Although it had been thirty years, seeing her hug another man made him seethe with jealousy. He withdrew a breath of disbelief as he menacingly shifted his lower jaw. 'Well, well. If it isn't my dear sweet Jackie and her new man!' he thought bitterly as he continued to watch her intently.

"Caleb? Is that you?!" Jackie exclaimed joyfully, "It's been a long time. You're all grown up now! I'm so glad to see you were among the lucky ones who evacuated Omicron in time!"

"The feeling's mutual. My goodness Jacqueline! You haven't aged a day."

Jacqueline noticed a young boy, around seven years of age, standing next to Caleb.

"Jacqueline, this is my son Daniel." Caleb beamed.

"Nice to meet you Daniel." she greeted the child — who blushed shyly as he buried his face in his father's arm.

"Jacqueline, do you still remember the song you used to sing for our class? It's been so long I'm afraid I forgot the cadence. '_Abdul Abu_…' Oh, I can't remember it for the life of me!" Caleb chuckled and a slight, glum expression came over Jacqueline's face.

"Oh, you're talking about '_Abdul Abulbul Amir_'" she said with a forced smile.

"Yes! That's it! I _loved_ that song when I was a kid. Can you sing it for Daniel?"

"Uh, I don't know…"

"Please." Caleb implored. His son Daniel also nodded feverishly.

"Well… alright." she replied reluctantly and began to sing, her voice quivering slightly:

"_The sons of the Prophet are brave men and bold;  
And quite unaccustomed to fear.  
But the bravest by far in the ranks of the Shah;  
Was Abdul Abulbul …"_

Jacqueline's voice trailed off and she broke into tears.

"I - I'm sorry… it's just that —" she attempted to explain.

"No, don't worry about it; it's okay. I'm sorry if I caused you to become upset."

"Caleb, it's not your fault. I'll be fine. I just need a little time alone to… pull myself together okay? I'll see you later; maybe I'll be able to finish the whole song then. It was so nice to see you again, and it was nice to meet you Daniel."

"Thanks Miss. You have a really pretty voice." Daniel replied as he and his father walked away.

Jacqueline dried her tears as she turned around and noticed a familiar person standing by one of the columns. His glance just missed hers as he turned to walk away. Lore knew he could move much faster; that he could easily elude her and never have to see her again — if he chose. However, he wanted her to catch up to him. He _wanted _to see her up close… if only one last time. He heard her footfalls drawing closer behind him and then she called out to him.

"Data? Data is that you?" she asked.

Lore stopped in his tracks, his back still turned to her. He smirked menacingly as he exhaled a quick, sharp breath of disbelief.

'Data?' Lore thought to himself with heated bewilderment, 'Now isn't_ this_ interesting!'

* * *

'Alright, play along and you'll find out _everything_ you want to know.' Lore thought to himself before neutralizing his expression and turning to face Jacqueline.

"Data! What are you doing here? Those are interesting clothes, are you on leave?" she exclaimed happily as she looked curiously at his attire; he was wearing a brown Pakled uniform.

"Yes Jacqueline. I have been… curious about this particular planet and I thought my leave would be an opportune time to explore it." Lore answered.

"Well, there really isn't anything extraordinary here. In fact, it's pretty boring at times, but I guess that's why I like it so much. I hope you won't get bored during your visit."

"Quite the contrary, I find it very interesting. I believe I can learn a great deal here."

Jacqueline smiled as she avoided eye contact for a moment.

"When did you arrive?"

"One-hour, twenty-seven minutes ago." Lore lied.

"Are you staying with friends here?"

"I do not have any friends here and I have yet to acquire living quarters for the duration of my stay."

Jacqueline sighed quietly for a moment and she appeared to be internally debating something.

"Data, you could… stay with me if you'd like. Think of it as my way of repaying you for your hospitality during my brief visit to the Enterprise."

"That is very kind of you Jacqueline. Are you certain I will not be an imposition?"

"It's no trouble Data. Besides, things have been pretty rough for me lately and I could really use a friend right now." she sincerely replied.

'_Yes, I'm sure you could!_' Lore thought snidely. To him, it appeared that something had happened between Jacqueline and his brother. His anger and jealousy was immeasurable and it took all of his strength to maintain his charade of being Data, but he knew he needed to do so in order to learn the truth.

* * *

Jacqueline lived in cozy, yet humble quarters. The furnishings were simple and abstract. Upon entering, they walked into the small living area where she did most of her reading and lesson planning for her classes when school was in session. She motioned for Lore to sit on the sofa and offered him a drink, but he declined. As she went to get herself some refreshment, a large housecat leapt onto the sofa beside Lore and hissed. In response, Lore smirked before growling menacingly in the voice of an aggressive canine, prompting the feline to scurry away — much to Lore's amusement. Jacqueline nearly tripped on the fleeing cat upon reentering the room.

"I wonder what _his _problem is! He's usually very sociable." Jacqueline replied with a puzzled look on her face as she sat beside Lore.

There was a moment of awkward silence before Jacqueline continued to speak.

"Data, it seems like ages since the Enterprise came to the aid of the people of Tunqai. It's hard to believe it was only three years ago. If not for the Enterprise's timely response to our distress calls, we would've succumbed to the failing conditions of the planet. Oh, but you already remember all this stuff, you don't need me to remind you."

"No, I do not. However, I often find it to be… helpful to listen to events from the perspective of other parties. Please continue." Lore responded; he desperately wanted to hear more and to learn about his brother's relationship with her.

"After the other survivors and I were beamed aboard the Enterprise, I was very impressed. I'd never been on a starship like the Enterprise before. I met with all the crew. They were very kind and welcoming. Well, Lieutenant Worf was a bit stand-offish, but I guess that's just his nature. Then I met you Data. When I first met you I nearly fainted." she explained with a nervous chuckle.

"Really, why?" Lore asked, struggling to maintain his composure.

"Because you looked like…" Jacqueline stopped herself from saying Lore's name, "a very different person than what I had expected."

Lore could see that she was getting nervous; he made that determination based on her fidgeting. 'Hmm, so dear Jackie has a little crush on my little brother!' he thought with angry disgust.

"So Data, how have you been?"

"I have been well. How are you?" Lore replied, nearly biting his tongue not to say what was really on his mind.

"Fine. I'm fine… actually no, I'm not. Data, I've been feeling awful lately." she replied. Lore could clearly see that she was struggling to fight back tears, but he vowed not to pity her. He refused to let her into the vulnerable part of himself again.

"What is troubling you Jacqueline?" Lore asked, maintaining his non-expressive face and voice.

"Data there's… something I need to tell you. Something I guess I should've told you when we met. I didn't think it was appropriate for me to do it at the time, but I think I may have been wrong."

Jacqueline replied as a lonely tear escaped her eye.

"Tell me what Jacqueline?" Lore asked, bracing himself for the answer he knew he wouldn't like; that she desired his brother Data.

She took a deep breath and gently took his hand and Lore nearly exploded with rage, but managed to contain himself.

"Data, you weren't the first android Dr. Soong made. There was one before you, his name was Lore." she said as the tears began to flow, "He was deactivated shortly before the Crystalline Entity attacked the colony on Omicron Theta. To this day, everyone says that he summoned the attack, but I don't believe it. He tried to stop it. He tried to warn everyone but they wouldn't listen. They even tried to blame him for the deaths of three members of the research team — including my fiancé at the time! But I knew he wasn't capable of doing such things! I believed in him and I was forced to betray him!"

Jacqueline's body shook violently as she sobbed, shaking her head.

Lore was thoroughly shocked. It wasn't what he expected to hear. He nearly wrapped an arm around her shoulders, but thought better of it.

"What do you mean you were _forced_ to betray him?" Lore asked, his curiosity had piqued even further.

"I… I'm sorry Data. It's a long story and I can't even bring myself to talk about it right now. It's much too painful!" she stuttered while hiccupping on her intense sobs, "Please excuse me!"

Jacqueline ran out of the room, but Lore could still hear her sobbing from the lavatory. The sobs were then muffled by the sound of the sonic shower.

While the soothing heat of the shower calmed her some, Jacqueline had the strangest feeling that she was being watched. However, when she peeked out of the shower she realized she was alone. She chalked it up to her nerves playing tricks on her, but Lore had in fact had been watching her. He scolded himself for doing so as he reminded himself about how badly she had hurt him. He succeeded in burying his feelings of love for Jacqueline underneath the hatred and pain that had accumulated over the years, at least for the moment.

Upon finishing her shower, she returned to the living area to apologize to Data for her rudeness but was surprised to see he was no longer there. She deduced that perhaps he had gone to explore the city for a while. Therefore, she decided to turn in for the night since she had become very tired. When Jacqueline entered her bedroom, she was surprised to see him standing by her window.

"Um, Data? What are…?" she began to ask before Lore interrupted her.

"Jacqueline, I must ask you a question. Do you think I am… better than my brother?" he asked and Jacqueline was shocked to hear the question.

"No Data. I mean… other than the fact that Lore had emotions and you don't; you're basically very alike."

Jacqueline's comment filled Lore with contempt.

"But Data, what are you doing in my room?" she asked inquisitively.

"Jacqueline, you seem surprised. Did you not wish for me to keep you company?" Lore asked with an innocent expression on his face.

As she blushed with embarrassment, she chuckled nervously and attempted to explain.

"Data, I'm sorry if I misled you. When I asked you to stay with me… I meant platonically." she said with a gentle smile, "Come, let me show you to the spare room."

Lore followed her out of her bedroom and a slight, sincere smile emerged on his face. She had confirmed that she was not interested in Data romantically. It was a revelation that somehow comforted Lore.

Later that night as Jacqueline slept, Lore crept into her room. He stood silently and watched her as she slept. It appeared that she was having some sort of nightmare and he couldn't help but wonder if it was about him. Her words looped around in his head: 'I was forced to betray him!' Lore wondered if she was telling the truth or if it was another one of her skillful lies. As he continued to stare at her, he couldn't help but recall how badly she hurt him and how angry he was at her. After so many years, the pain was as fresh as if it had just happened that very moment. When he realized that he was balling up his fists, he decided to leave the room before he would do something he might later regret.


	23. Chapter 23: The Whole Story

This fan fic story chronicles Lore's life prior to his initial encountered with Data.  
Contains mild violence and sexual content

**Journey to the Dark Side: A Lore Story, **_**REDUX **_  
_Written by: S. Bell_

**Chapter Twenty-Three: The Whole Story**

The next day, Lore continued his charade of pretending to be Data. He made several attempts to get Jacqueline to resume her confession, but she continually procrastinated.

"Data, I promise I'll tell you later. I just don't have the strength to get into it right now." she sighed, almost as if she regretted bringing up the subject in the first place.

"Alright." Lore replied, reluctantly masking his disappointment.

He and Jacqueline sat at the coffee table in the living area as she attempted to eat breakfast, but she had no appetite. However, she came up with an idea that appeared to cheer her up a little.

"Data, why don't you come to class with me today? I bet the kids would love to see you."

"I do not think that would be such a wise idea."

"Why not?" she answered with surprise.

"I have found that children find my appearance to be… disturbing."

"Data, don't be silly! Have you taken a look around the city? There are people around here that look a lot more unusual than you. Now come on, you're not getting out of this!" she replied with a playful laugh as she guided him out the door.

When they arrived at the school, the class stared quietly at the android with amazement. Naturally, some of the children whispered amongst themselves.

"Excuse me Victor, have you forgotten that it's impolite to whisper in the presence of company?"

"No Ms. Erol." Victor answered.

"Well face the front of the room like the rest of the class."

Victor rolled his eyes and heeded her instruction.

"Ms. Erol?" Lore inquired, failing to keep a strictly neutral face, but Jacqueline didn't notice.

"Yeah Data. Surely you haven't forgotten my last name." she replied with a chuckle before she addressed the class.

"Class, I would like to introduce you to my friend Lieutenant Commander Data of the starship Enterprise." she announced.

At that moment the class bustled with excited reactions and questions. Lore was taken by surprise and couldn't help but be pleased to be accepted — even if it was under the pretense of being his brother. Nearly the entire lesson consisted of the students asking him questions, mostly about the Enterprise. Luckily for Lore, he had retained all of the ship's information in his memory. Near the conclusion of the class, Jacqueline was in the middle of a lesson about a planetary system in the Alpha Quadrant when she suddenly fell backwards. The children screamed and Lore startled a few of them as he shot by. He caught her just before she hit the ground. He completely forgot about maintaining his charade of being Data as he gently caressed her hair when she came to.

"Jackie, are you alright?" he asked.

"Oh my God! What did you say?" she responded.

"I said, 'Jacqueline, are you alright?'"

Before she could debate the issue, two of the other teachers rushed into the room to see what was happening. Jacqueline explained that she'd neglected to eat breakfast that morning and that it was the likely culprit to her sudden weakness. Worried, her superiors dismissed the class early, relieved her from duty for the next week and demanded she get proper rest and nutrition.

Lore noticed the uneasy look on Jacqueline's face as they walked silently to her quarters. He could tell that she was internally debating whether or not she had been things when he called her 'Jackie'. Once they arrived, she made herself a small snack and a cup of tea before she walked over to the sofa in the living area to eat.

"Oh, I'm sorry for being rude. Do you want something to eat Data?" she asked, to which Lore chuckled.

"Oh Jackie, I think we can stop pretending now." he replied with a smirk as he leaned against a wall.

Jacqueline nearly choked on the tart she was eating as she looked up at him.

"Lore! Oh my God, it's really you!" she exclaimed as she dropped her plate to the floor.

Surprisingly to Lore, her expression was not of fear, but of intense happiness as she rushed over to him.

"I've missed you so much!" she cried as she attempted to hug him but he quickly seized he arms, causing her to gasp in shock, but not pain.

"You've missed me?" he laughed sarcastically, "You're only saying that because you're afraid of the punishment I have in store for you for what you've done to me. You pretended to be dead! For your sake I hope it was good practice for the real thing, _Ms. Erol_." he growled through clenched teeth.

It was an empty threat and he knew that. However, he wanted her to know how much pain she'd put him through.

"Lore, you don't know the whole story." she said urgently, but to his surprise it was not out of fear.

"What's the matter? You're not afraid of me anymore?" he hissed and Jacqueline shook her head.

Lore spun her around and pinned her against the wall, his face just inches from hers.

"Why not?! Aren't you aware of how _easily_ I could kill you right now for what you've done?!" he growled angrily, but it was yet another empty threat.

"Yes," she replied tearfully, "but it doesn't matter anymore. You have every right to be upset, but I don't think you know the whole story. Lore, just listen to what I have to say and if you still feel the need to kill me… I won't try to stop you."

Her last comment took him completely by surprise and he immediately released his grip on her. Jacqueline surprised him yet again by not running away, but taking his hand and guiding him to the sofa and sitting beside him.

"Lore," she cried as she continued to hold his hand, "I didn't mean to betray you. I was forced to. There was nothing I could do about it. However, I should've told you about the pressure that was placed on me at the time; maybe things could've been different. It all started after you brought me to the hospital…"

As Jacqueline began to explain everything; her mind traveled to her last tough days on _Omicron Theta_. She was still recovering from her injuries in sickbay, but was allowed to visit the lounge in which guests would often visit patients. She looked up through the large skylight and gazed at the stars while sipping a cup of hot tea and contemplating her life.

"Do you have time for a visitor?" a male voice said gently.

Jacqueline turned around and was surprised to see Magistrate Simms standing next to her.

"Magistrate Simms, good evening." she greeted as she attempted to stand, but he stopped her.

"No, don't get up on my account, you need to take it easy young lady." he replied as he sat in a chair across the small table, "By the way, you can call me Thomas. I like to leave the formal name-calling at the office."

Jacqueline was a little unnerved by the magistrate's visit, it wasn't customary for him to visit patients in the hospital — at least not those who weren't directly involved with his career. He proceeded to talk to her about various star systems and how exciting it was for him to travel when he was young. The conversation paused briefly when the server brought the coffee he'd ordered as well as another cup of tea for Jacqueline — who was beginning to feel tired and a bit sore; an indication that another dose of medication was overdue. However, she didn't want to appear rude and decided to tough it out until the magistrate was done with his visit.

"So Jacqueline, how is your recovery going? Well I hope." he asked.

"Yes. I'm doing very well so far. The doctor sees no reason why I shouldn't be released within the next day or so."

"Very good. That's good news indeed!" the magistrate exclaimed happily before his smile faded into a serious expression, "Jacqueline, I'm really sorry about what that… _monster_ did to you. You have my word that I will do my best to see that he is brought to justice and disassembled piece by piece. I've brought you the necessary documentation you'll need to fill out in order to expeditiously file formal charges."

The magistrate slid a PADD across the table, but Jacqueline didn't take it and a somber expression washed over her face.

"Is there something wrong?"

"Sir I don't… I won't be filing any charges against Lore." she replied as she slid the PADD back to the Magistrate.

"Well, why the hell not?!" the magistrate burst out, prompting several visitors to look in their direction. Slightly abashed, he lowered his voice as he took her hand, "Jacqueline, that… _thing_ has brutalized you! Surely you can't let that monster get away with that. Look, if you're afraid of him I can assure you, I can get you the best security there is. They'll fry his circuits to a crisp before he can ever lay a hand on you again."

"No sir, I don't think you understand. I'm not refusing to file charges out of fear; I honestly believe that Lore didn't hurt me intentionally."

The Magistrate lowered his head in disappointed disbelief as he withdrew a loud sigh. As he stood up, he placed the PADD in her hands and regarded her with a gentle smile.

"Jacqueline, at least think about it. Alright?"

"Alright sir, I will." Jacqueline reluctantly replied, on the verge of tears as he walked away.

A few days later, while Jacqueline was resting at home after her release from sickbay, the magistrate paid her a visit. She reluctantly invited him in after which time she offered him refreshment, which he politely declined. He immediately got down to business.

"Jacqueline, I haven't heard from you for the past few days. Have you filled out the forms? Do you have any questions about them?"

Jacqueline quietly handed the PADD to the Magistrate before she slumped into her chair. His broad smile quickly faded as he analyzed the screen.

"Wha — everything's blank! Are you confused about how to fill it out? I'd be happy to —"

"No, I'm not confused sir, I've decided not to go through with it. Lore didn't mean any harm."

"But he sure as hell is capable of it! You've experienced it first hand!" the Magistrate exclaimed with contempt.

Jacqueline became irritated.

"Why do you need me to do this anyway? I thought this was supposed to be _my _decision to make! Anyway, if you want to charge him so badly, you have the authority to do it on the behalf of the Colony don't you?" she said a little more harshly than she'd intended.

"Yes, but your statement will guarantee his deactivation. If you refuse to submit your statement, he will likely get away with this, just as he's gotten away with the deaths of the research team."

"Excuse me sir, but that's a bit extreme don't you think? Wasn't Lore cleared of those charges? Surely you're not looking to charge him for the same thing twice."

"Jacqueline, why are you so hell-bent on defending him? He…" the Magistrate's voice trailed off as he began to laugh heartily, "Oh, _now_ I see. You're _in love_ with him aren't you! How rich! It all makes perfect sense now. The two of you planned the whole thing haven't you? You needed to get Alex out of the picture so the two of you could carry on with your torrid affair without the risk of getting caught! That's the _real_ reason you ended up in the hospital isn't it? The two of you were so thrilled that your little plan had worked and your consensual passion got out of hand; resulting in your… injuries!" he scowled at her.

"What?! You're just doing this because your own marriage is ruined, but that's your own fault! How dare you?!" she shouted tearfully and made a motion to strike the magistrate but thought better of it. She was shocked at his presumptuous implication that she'd invited her attack.

"No, don't refrain yourself. Do it. Defend your precious android and give me the opportunity to rack up the charges. 'Assault on a colonial official' will go together nicely with 'Accomplice to murder'." he hissed.

"No, you're wrong! That's not true!" were the only words she had enough strength to exclaim.

"Am I? Alright then. Here," he said as he shoved the PADD into her hand, "fill it out."

Jacqueline glanced at the screen and poised her fingers to type, but eventually resisted.

"I can't do this! I just can't!" she sobbed, "I'm sorry!"

"Alright Jacqueline, have it your way then, but know this; you _will _help me get rid of him. You can be sure of that!" the magistrate growled before he made a very angry exit.

Not long after her unpleasant encounter with the magistrate, Lore paid two visits to Jacqueline. She desperately wanted to warn him about the magistrate's intentions, but she was too afraid. She thought that if she told Lore about it, he would do something rash to defend her so she said nothing. During Lore's second visit a security officer ordered him away. At first, Jacqueline thought it was a random guard on patrol. Then she realized that the magistrate had sent him there. However, before she could warn Lore, she felt the searing hot pain of the phaser blast and was knocked unconscious. She later awoke in sickbay and noticed the doctor and Dr. Soong standing over her. Everything was dark at first and she only heard voices.

"Dr. Soong, thanks so much for your help. I think we would have really lost her without your help." the doctor replied.

"_Really_ lost her? What are you talking about? What the hell is going on?!" Dr. Soong exclaimed.

When she opened her eyes, she saw a handsome, middle-aged man with dark hair and piercing blue eyes. She immediately recognized him as Dr. Soong. At first, she had no recollection of what had taken place until the doctor mentioned that she was brought back to life. Jacqueline felt the cool wet substance on her face and thought they were her own tears until she saw the golden color on her hands.

"Why did you wait so long to bring her back?!" Dr. Soong exclaimed angrily as the female doctor proceeded to turn multiple shades of red.

"Oh my God! Lore thinks I'm dead!" Jacqueline shouted, "Where is he? Where did he go? I have to find him!" she exclaimed worriedly as she hopped off the medical table. She immediately fell to her knees when she felt the room go askew.

"No, you have to remain still. You've been through a lot and you're very dizzy, you won't be able to go far in your condition." the female doctor replied.

"Dr. Soong please! Find Lore and tell him I'm okay. I'm afraid he might do something horrible!"

Before Jacqueline could finish her sentence, Dr. Soong sprinted out the door at top speed. The doctor helped Jacqueline back onto the table as the Magistrate entered.

"Oh good, you were able to bring her back." he said coldly before training his gaze on Jacqueline, "See, I told you that you'd help me get rid of him. What do you suppose your precious android is doing right now? Hmm? Perhaps he's exacting some sort of revenge for your death?"

"You bastard! You planned this whole thing!" Jacqueline shouted before gained a sudden burst of energy and ran towards the exit of sick bay. Just as she exited, she saw Lore walking in the distance with a phaser in his hand. She took a deep breath to call out to him, but was interrupted when the doctor came from behind and disabled her with a hypospray. Although she was still conscious, she could not speak or move, but she heard the magistrate's voice loud and clear.

"Get her to the shuttle and make sure no one sees her!" he ordered the doctor before sneering at Jacqueline, "Enjoy your life on Tunqai, Jacqueline. Think of it as a gift of thanks for helping me to prove that Lore is nothing more than a maniacal murderer!"

Helpless tears flowed from Jacqueline's eyes as she finally lost consciousness.


	24. Chapter 24: A Return to Love

**Journey to the Dark Side: A Lore Story, **_**REDUX **_  
_Written by: S. Bell_

**Chapter Twenty-Four: A Return to Love**

As Jacqueline finished her explanation, Lore stared at her with utter disbelief and disgust.

"You expect me to believe that?" he scowled, "Well then, how do you explain the letter you wrote my dear parents?"

"Wh — what letter?" Jacqueline asked as she hiccupped through tears.

"_What letter?" _he replied as he mocked her sobs. He then read the letter from memory and watched as her face dropped in utter shock.

"Lore, I never wrote that! I swear!" she replied as she shook her head.

"Oh really? Then why don't you prove it Jackie!" Lore hissed before storming off to replicate a pen and paper for her to write on. Upon his return, he slammed the items onto the table causing her to flinch.

"Write the alphabet!" he demanded angrily.

"What?" she asked, the word barely escaping from her mouth.

"You heard me! Write the alphabet, now!"

Jacqueline continued to sob as she took the pen and paper and began to write. When she was done, Lore snatched the paper out of her shaking hands and his angry expression quickly faded away and was replaced by a look of shock, sorrow and remorse.

"Your handwriting is… entirely different from the letter. You were… set up."

"Lore, we were both set up! They even dragged your parents into it! I'm so stupid! I should've told you what the Magistrate was asking of me."

"That wouldn't have changed anything. There wasn't much you could've done." Lore replied with quiet disbelief of his recent discovery as he embraced her. All these years, he had coached himself to hate the woman that betrayed him only to realize that it wasn't her fault. It was an event that solidified his hatred for humans even further.

"You see Lore, even though I was forced away from you, I was never able to completely move on. Do the letters in my last name seem familiar to you?" Jacqueline asked.

Lore suddenly realized that her last name was in fact his own name spelled backwards. It was a fact that he'd noticed, but had been buried in his anger.

"When I knew that you faced deactivation I had to keep part of you alive with me, even if it was just your name. Lore, there's something else I have to tell you." Jacqueline said almost unintelligibly as she continued sobbing uncontrollably as he took her into his arms.

"Shh. It's alright now. There's no need to rush. I'm not going anywhere."

"Lore, I love you. I've never stopped loving you. So much time has been wasted, time we could have spent together. I would've eventually gotten past what you did to me, I know you didn't mean to hurt me." she cried.

Lore was in a position he never thought he would be in again. His emotions were completely open to Jacqueline. They were once again at her mercy, whether he wanted it or not. The love he thought had died long ago was still very much alive. This realization manifested itself when he felt Jacqueline's lips touch his. He pulled away at first wanting to distance himself; wanting to protect himself from the risk of getting hurt again. However, his desire for her ran very deep, overruling his need to spare his own feelings. Welcoming her kiss, Lore gently pulled her close. His every move was meticulously executed and reflected his desire not to injure her again. Pulling away reluctantly, he attempted to curb his desire to completely experience her.

Cradling Lore's face in her hands, she gazed into his wondrous golden eyes while whispering pleadingly: "It's okay. Please… I'm ready now."

Lore stared at Jacqueline for a moment before pulling her in for another gentle, yet hungry kiss. Their kisses became increasingly passionate as their past began fading away, leaving only them, their love and the moment. Lore constantly reminded himself to be gentle with her. The last thing he wanted to do was to hurt her again. As they continued kissing and caressing one another, Lore realized how special it was when love was mutually reciprocated between two people; emotionally, physically and completely.

After making love, Lore was watching over Jacqueline, who was snuggled against his chest, asleep. It was the first time he felt truly content. He thought about the amazing experience he had just mutually shared with the woman he loved. As he savored the moment, he wondered how it was possible for Jacqueline to have remained so beautiful after all the years that had passed. He also began to wonder what else it was she wanted to tell him. However, he put his curiosity on the backburner since he did not want to spoil the experience with such questions. Lore didn't want to interrupt such a wonderfully tender moment. He admired how peaceful she looked while sleeping in his arms and how happy she seemed to be after releasing the guilt she had wrongfully carried for so long. As he watched her sleep through night, he listened to the soothing sound of her breathing and the rhythmic sound of her steady heartbeat. Grateful to have restored what had been stolen from him so long ago.

Gazing upward into his eyes the next morning, Jacqueline smiled lovingly.

"Lore, you didn't stare at me the whole night did you?" she asked.

"It was difficult to avoid. You're still so… beautiful." he whispered, to which she blushed.

"Well, I wasn't snoring was I?" she asked, not really wanting to know the answer.

"No, you weren't." Lore replied with a brief chuckle.

Jacqueline placed her head on his chest once again to avoid his gaze. Lore felt her tremble slightly. At first, he thought she was laughing until he felt the teardrops on his chest. Gently raising her face to meet his gaze, he realized she was crying.

"Jackie, what's wrong? Have I hurt you?" he asked with grave concern.

"No Lore, it's not that. I'm just… so happy. I didn't imagine that we would ever get a second chance at happiness and… I just wish it had come sooner." she replied, her voice cracking in the process.

"Jackie, what do you mean?" Lore had the feeling she was fighting to hold something back, something very important.

"Oh never mind about that. It's nothing I can't tell you later. Anyway, I'd love to take a shower right now."

Jacqueline kissed him passionately before getting out of bed. Entering the lavatory, she left Lore to ponder her sudden, minor emotional collapse; but not for long.

"Would you like to join me, my love?" she asked seductively as she briefly peeked at Lore, who eagerly followed her.

Jacqueline spent the day showing Lore her favorite places in the city and he was amazed that the things he found boring just days earlier, seemed interesting because of the fact she was a part of them. They shared a lot of laughs as they traveled together and enjoyed the sights. At the end of the day, Jacqueline led Lore to a secluded spot on a hill where they had a picnic while watching the sunset. As the sun began to dip below the horizon, the sky was painted with remarkable hues of yellows, pinks oranges and purples. Lore missed the event, he was too busy admiring the way the reflection of the sun's intense, but fading light was enhancing the sweet golden tone of Jacqueline's face. He was staring into her glistening eyes and at the delicate curve her mouth made when she smiled. Jacqueline started to get cold, but didn't want to leave, so Lore moved closer before wrapping a blanket around both of them. He did this to insulate the heat he was providing her once he'd raised his body temperature. They kissed passionately as thousands of stars began to emerge in the velvety black sky.

The next day, Jacqueline awoke in the same way she did the previous morning; looking up into Lore's eyes. He greatly enjoyed watching her sleep; it filled him with a sense of peace. As Jacqueline showered, Lore prepared breakfast and spread it out on the coffee table. At first she declined to eat, but Lore refused to take no for an answer. He said that if she refused to eat, he would no allow her to leave her quarters; he wanted her to avoid another fainting spell. After they finished breakfast, it appeared his efforts were in vain. As soon as she stood up, she collapsed onto the sofa, prompting him to rush to her side.

"Jackie, what happened?"

"Lore, there's something I need to tell you… well, _show_ you." she replied.

She instructed Lore to open a compartment next to her console and retrieve a tricorder. Lore was puzzled as to why a school teacher would require such a device.

"Why do you have this? It's not a requirement of your profession." he inquired.

"I… borrowed it." Jacqueline said with a slight smirk as she laid face-up on the sofa."

"Go ahead, scan me."

As Lore proceeded to wave the device over her body, he was very shocked at the readings he saw.

"You're only… partially human." he replied with a puzzled look on his face.

"Yes. I don't know what the other half of my lineage is, but I suspect it's the reason why I haven't aged much over the years."

"Did anyone at the colony know about this?"

"Yes, a few people. Mostly the medical staff and Magistrate Simms. Apparently, before I was brought to the colony, I was discovered floating in a small escape pod of sorts in the Delta Quadrant. I was only a baby then and no one could track were the pod had come from. But the particulars of my lineage isn't the only thing that showed up on your scan is it?" Jacqueline said somberly.

At first, Lore had no words as he simply shook his head solemnly.

"You're dying." he whispered.

"It appears so my love. At first I was fine with it since I thought you were dead. I figured I would join you. But in true fashion you show up and complicate things." she replied with a loving smile as she sat up and gestured for him to sit beside her.

"There must be a way to treat your illness." while settling beside her.

"I've been treating it since I was on Omicron Theta; at least I thought I was. You see, The Magistrate arranged for the doctors to create a series of treatments for me to take. Initially, things were going well until they packed me up and sent me here."

"They didn't provide you with enough medicine?" Lore asked angrily.

"No, that's not it. They provided me with enough medicine to last me many years. It wasn't until I visited one of the doctors here did I realize that the medicine was nothing more than a placebo; a false promise. What can I say; that Magistrate is a real bastard!" she said with a halfhearted chuckle.

The next logical question would have been 'How long do you have to live?' but being as Lore already had the readings in his hands, he already knew the answer. Jacqueline's life only had eight months to a year remaining. He felt a wave of emotions come over him; naturally anger seemed to be the most prominent. 'Why is she doing this to me again?!' Lore thought to himself, but he knew it wasn't her fault. Holding her close, he nuzzled his face in her hair.

"When it happens, I want to be at home, not in some medical facility with a bunch of strangers."

Lore's anger was beginning to get the best of him.

"Jackie, you've got time. Can we not talk about this now?"

"No Lore, I have to do it now while I have the strength. I won't want to talk about it again. Just promise me, when it happens, you won't take me to the doctors, they can't do anything but you can. Your love will make me stronger. It will make everything easier, alright?"

"Alright." Lore answered thickly.

"And Lore, please don't treat me like I'm dying. I didn't want to tell you because I feared that you might. I don't want it to overshadow the fact that we love each other. I don't want my illness to win that as well as my life. I want to keep that for myself and share it with you." she said, the sound of her voice slightly muffled against his chest.

"I promise, I won't treat you like you're dying." Lore said as he looked into her eyes just prior to giving her the most passionate kiss he'd ever given her.

"I love you Lore… I love _you_. Always, remember that; it will never change… _never._" she proclaimed.

"I love you too, Jackie." he replied while continuing to kiss and caress her.

He carried her into the bedroom where they demonstrated their love for one another, anew.

As the months flew by, they lived in an almost deliriously happy existence. Jacqueline's happiness seemed to rub off on Lore. After a while, he'd nearly forgotten that anything was wrong with her. She proceeded with her teaching schedule as usual until classes were finished for the season, after which time, she spent nearly every waking moment with Lore. He would often voice his hatred for humans and mentioned that if it weren't for their actions, things would have turned out differently.

"Lore, that may be true for the humans we've come in contact with, but I doubt they're all bad. Have you forgotten; I'm half human too?"

In fact, Lore did forget. She seemed beyond human to him, she was consistent; _always_ caring, kind, attentive and loving. She was one to think things through and stick to her decisions. To him it was a stark contrast to humans who based their lives on lies, greed, cruelty and hostility.

"Yes, you're half human, but have you ever considered that it's the other half of your lineage that separates you from the rest of them? You're _different_ Jackie! You're better than them, we _both _are! You're not like all the others and it's _marvelous!"_

Jacqueline shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

"Lore, sure we've had to deal with some really rotten people, but I honestly believe that everyone has the potential to improve. Sometimes they just need a little help. Anyway, your parents were human, surely you must hold them in higher regard than you hold others."

Lore stifled a bitter chuckle.

"Right, my dear parents." he sneered, "Jackie, my own dear father _replaced_ me with not so much as a word. He just shut me down like an obsolete workstation to make room for the newer model... _Data!"_

"What? You mean, he didn't say anything to you? He didn't explain why he…" Jacqueline couldn't bring herself to utter the words.

"Nope. Not a word! Apparently he didn't think I was worth it."

"What about your mother?"

Lore sucked his teeth and rolled his eyes with disgust.

"Oh, mother gave up on me _long_ before my dear father did! I bet she did back flips around my deactivated frame!" he answered bitterly before kneeling before Jacqueline and regarding her with a warm smile as he caressed her face, "You see Jacqueline? You're the only one who has given me a chance from day one and has stuck by me up until know. Even after the terrible thing I did to you years ago. We are the last of our kind and the world can't handle us, they're too afraid. That's why they disregard us and mistreat us like we're insignificant, but they have it the wrong way around. They can learn so much from us. If I could just find some way to guide them, I could show them how life _should _be. It appears the only way to do this is to speak to them in the only language they seem to understand." Lore whispered the last comment to himself as Jacqueline glanced at him with mild concern.

"Lore, please don't try to take revenge for what has happened. I would be devastated if you risked being deactivated for something as trivial as revenge."

"Jackie," Lore exclaimed with surprised, "after all that's happened…"

"Lore _please," _she implored, "Do not seek revenge for things we can not change, it will only make things worse for you. Promise me you won't do it."

Lore sighed and reluctantly agreed. Jacqueline went into the lavatory and Lore heard the sound of the sonic shower. A mischievous smile spread across his face as he went over to the door.

"Jackie, ready or not here I come." he sang and attempted to enter but the door wouldn't slide open; a clear indication it was locked, "Did someone forget to leave the door unlocked?" he chuckled but his amusement faded when he heard the sound of Jacqueline coughing violently.

Wasting no time, Lore pried the door open with his bare hands. Seeing her curled up on the floor coughing, he rushed to her side before taking her into his arms.

"Jackie!"

"I'm fine Lore, really. This happens to me sometimes. I didn't want to worry you so I came in here. The shower usually helps to muffle the sound." she said with a giggle.

"Jackie, that's _not_ funny!" Lore scolded, "Don't do that again, if something were seriously wrong…"

"Something _is_ seriously wrong, I'm dying remember?"

"You don't need to remind me Jackie."

She stood up, with his assistance even though she didn't really need it and they looked into each others eyes.

"Lore, I'm so lucky." she whispered.

"Lucky?! How can you possibly think that?" Lore asked in an almost irritated tone.

"Because Lore, I get to spend the rest of my life with the man I love. Not many people are afforded such a luxury."

One late summer day, Lore and Jacqueline went to their special place on the hill where they watched the sunset everyday. As usual, Jacqueline looked absolutely radiant to Lore, but he could see that she was growing tired as she snuggled against him.

"Lore, hold me. I'm getting cold."

Lore was puzzled; the temperature was the same as it had been the past few days they had visited the hill, perhaps even warmer. Nonetheless, holding her close, he wrapped a blanket around them to insulate his increasing body heat. Continuing to grow colder, she prompted him to hold her even closer while elevating his body temperature further. Eventually, he realized that he could no longer raise his body heat without posing the risk of scorching her flesh, so he desisted. She looked deeply into his eyes and smiled faintly.

"I think it's happening Lore… I feel… so weird."

"Are you in pain?" Lore asked with grave concern.

"No. It just feels like… I'm floating or something."

"Jackie, let me take you home."

Nuzzling her face against his warm, firm chest, she whispered: "No Lore. Please. I just want to stay here… with you. You're as close to home as I'll ever be."

"I can't believe you're doing this to me again Jackie." Lore replied heavily.

"Please, don't be angry with me, Lore." she whispered while touching his face gently, "I don't want you to have to go through this. But it seems that I don't have a choice. I love you, Lore. I think you're the reason why I've lasted this long. We have fulfilled our second chance at love, I think that was the last thing I needed to do before I left this life… I needed to show you love."

Replying, Lore's voice cracked and tears shone in his eyes: "But you're taking it away Jackie!"

"No Lore, _nobody _can take love away. It's always there, but sometimes it gets buried under our other feelings." Jacqueline said before she shuddered briefly, "Please… kiss me."

Lore kissed Jacqueline passionately as she buried her fingers in his lustrous dark hair. Her other hand clutched his shoulder firmly. Eventually relaxing into the kiss, she slowly loosened her grip. It wasn't until her hand fell from Lore's shoulder that he realized that she had faded away; her mouth fixed in a peaceful smile and her eyes closed. Lore softly sang 'Abdul Abulbul Amir' as he continued to cradle her in his arms. He knew it was her favorite song; it was a reminder of the time in their relationship when everything was so simple. It was a part of her he wanted to keep alive and carry with him forever.


	25. Chapter 25: Brothers

**Chapter 25: Brothers**

Author's Note: _This chapter is heavily based on the ST: TNG episode 'Brothers' written by Rick Berman._

Lore grieved for Jackie, but was also angry that life could be so cruel. The one person that could have changed his mind about humans was now dead, and as far as he was concerned, so was the hope that he could ever grow to understand their ideals — ideals he felt were antiquated and weak. Just as he began to contemplate his next move, he suddenly paused in his grief. Time itself seemed to have been suspended. His connection with his conscious positronic mind had been broken and his system ran on a series of reflexes. He brushed past people in the square before beaming up to the ship he'd commandeered from the Pakleds many months before. Understanding ceased to exist and all that remained was a strong beckoning which he couldn't deny.

When Lore finally awoke, he expected to find himself on Tunquai, in the same village Jackie lived… and had recently died. Instead he saw Data, standing prominently in his Starfleet uniform. In a fraction of a second, Lore was filled with rage and even fear as he recalled how his brother beamed him out into space and left him there, condemning him to stellar solitary confinement. Enraged and wanting to defend himself before Data could attack, he attempted to propel himself out of the chair in which he sat. However, he slumped back into the chair as familiar hands gently held his shoulders. With great surprise, Lore looked into the time worn face of his father, Dr. Noonien Soong.

"So, you're still alive. I'm surprised you woke me. Why didn't you just take me apart and be done with it? That is why the two of you captured me, isn't it?" Lore asked sarcastically.

"Data had nothing to do with this, Lore. And no one captured you... not exactly, that is. You see, both of your brains contain a simple homing device. Data's was activated purposefully. Yours... well until you walked in that door I didn't know you had ever been reassembled." Dr. Soong patiently explained.

"No thanks to you." Lore replied bitterly before turning his attention to Data. Lore wanted his brother to know the trouble he'd been through. "But thanks to you, dear brother, I spent nearly two years drifting in space. If it hadn't been for a fortunate encounter with a Pakled trade ship, I'd still be out there."

"I had no alternative. You would have destroyed the Enterprise." Data replied plainly.

Lore sneered disdainfully. _''…no other alternative.' he says. What a crock!'_ Lore thought before addressing his father: "Well, since I appear to be an uninvited guest at your little party, I'll leave you with your beloved son and be on my way."

"No, wait. Stay here... There are questions I can answer. You'll have no chance to ask them later. You see, I'm dying." Dr. Soong called to Lore, who was already at the door. For a moment, he was speechless and wore a look of immense concern as he turned to face Dr. Soong.

"Dying from what, sir?" Data asked.

"Wait a minute. Wait a minute. What do you mean you're dying? You look fine. You're not that old. You look fine. Is this some sort of trick?" Lore replied, he was visibly upset. He refused to believe that he would lose yet another person he considered family. In this case, it was the very person who gave him life, his own father. Although Lore was upset with his father for deactivating him, it still hurt to hear the news of his pending death.

"I wish it were." Dr. Soong somberly replied.

Lore's speech processors seemed incapable of forming another sentence. Instead, he stared at his creator with a look of astonished melancholy.

"Dying from what, sir?" Data calmly repeated himself.

"It's not important. Nothing can be done about it. I'm old. It's just my time to go." Dr. Soong answered. "There's no use in discussing something that can't be changed."

"Like how you deactivated me, father?" Lore hissed.

"Lore, I had no choice, I did what I had to." Dr. Soong said, his voice full of heartbreak.

"You did what you had to? What kind of an answer is that?" Lore retorted.

"The only one I can give you. You were not… functioning properly."

At that point, Data's brow furrowed as he thought for a brief second.

"Lore told me the colonists became envious of him because you made him 'so completely human.'" Data finally said.

With a sad smile, Dr. Soong replied: "I wouldn't exactly have used the word 'envious', Data."

"You disassembled me. Took me apart... and so soon after you had put me together. You gave me no chance." Lore exclaimed, the hurt clearly present in his voice as he recalled how everything went dark the day his father flipped the switch on him.

However, Data continued his external thinking: "Lore also said the colonists petitioned you to replace him with a 'less perfect' android?"

Dr. Soong glanced at Lore with an expression of sheer disbelief. He couldn't believe Lore would actually say such a thing to his own brother.

"The last thing you should think of yourself as Data is 'less perfect.' The two of you are

virtually identical... except for a bit of programming." Dr. Soong finally replied.

Data turned his attention to Lore: "It was a lie. Another lie."

Ignoring Data, Lore turned to his father.

"I would have proven to you that I was worthy, if you had given me the chance. But it was easier to turn your back and build your precious Data." Lore spat.

"You were the first. You meant as much to me as Data ever did. But you were unstable. The colonists weren't envious of you, they were_ afraid_ of you. You were unstable." Dr. Soong explained.

Meanwhile, Data said to himself: "I am not less perfect than Lore."

"Why didn't you try to fix me? It was within your power to fix me!" Lore desperately pled to his father, ignoring Data.

"It wasn't as easy as that. The next logical step was to construct Data. Afterward, I planned to

get back to you... to "fix" you. But I never got that chance." Dr. Soong explained.

"Next logical step?!" Lore exclaimed almost tearfully through an angry chortle.

"I am not less perfect than Lore." Data repeated to himself.

Annoyed, Lore rolled his eyes and mocked him: "I am not less perfect than Lore!"

Dr. Soong heard enough and knew he needed to restore order.

"Enough! Sit down… _both_ of you." He ordered sternly. Data sat almost immediately, but Dr. Soong had to repeat the order — albeit not as strongly — before Lore finally complied.

"For all these years I've been plagued by what went wrong." Dr. Soong explained as he turned to face Lore, "With all the complexities you possessed, the nuances... basic emotion seemed almost simple in comparison. But the emotion turned, and twisted, and became entangled with ambition... Lore, if I had known you were no longer sitting in pieces on a distant shelf... If I had known I could push a button and bring you here... I would have spent those years trying to make things right for you as well. But all I knew of was Data." Turning to Data, Dr. Soong continued: "So I worked, long and hard, and now I believe I've succeeded."

With those words, Dr. Soong used a pair of tweezers to remove a tiny circuit chip from a small container and raised it at eye level.

"This is why I brought you here. Basic emotions, Data. Simple feelings. Your feelings." Dr. Soong continued to explain. Data cocked his head slightly as he silently moved closer to regard the chip.

"I've imagined how hard it's been for you... living amongst beings so moved by emotion." Dr. Soong said.

Lore also moved closer and stood next to Data. Sure Lore felt envious. He was about to watch his brother receive something he wanted all of his life. Yet at the same time, Lore felt somewhat happy that at least Data wouldn't go through the suffering he had gone through.

"I don't have to imagine. I _know_ how hard it's been. But, you'll be surprised Data... feelings do funny things. You may even learn to understand your "evil" brother... to forgive him. We will be more alike, you and I. You'll see. I'm happy for you." Lore said almost tearfully, his voice quivering slightly.

Data regarded Lore with and expression of wariness before he replied: "I question your sincerity, Lore."

Dr. Soong gestured to the chip: "Perhaps with this you'll learn to be more trusting, Data. Your brother has had good reason to be bitter."

"But sir, Lore was responsible for..." Data attempted to explain.

"He wasn't given the chance you and I were given... to _live_." Dr. Soong interrupted, "But now I'm sure he understands why I had to do what I did." Dr. Soong glanced at Lore with an expression of sincere regret, "If there was only time left, I could help you as well... what a shame. Dr. Soong turned to return the chip to its case. "The procedure is quite simple, but I'll need to rest first, I'm tired."

"And after the procedure, what then?" Lore asked.

"I assume Data will return to his ship, and you to yours."

"No. You'll need someone to care for you. I will remain."

"I need to rest now."

"May I assist you... with the procedure?" Lore offered. If he couldn't have the chip, he at least wanted to be apart of it.

"It's a simple insertion... no need." Dr. Soong replied with a slight wave of his hand before disappearing into his sleeping quarters.

After Dr. Soong left the room, Lore smiled at Data, who responded in a guarded manner.

"Brother, it's clear you still don't trust me. Once your emotion chip is installed, you'll finally be able to understand what I've been trying to tell you."

"I sincerely doubt that, Lore."

"You think we're that much different? Father himself told you that we're practically identical, except for the programming that was put in place to tame you; to keep you under control. I can help you to become free, brother. You'll be able to live life beyond the rules that were put in place by the humans. You'll no longer have to bend to their whim. You'll finally be satisfied with your existence since you'll no longer feel inferior to them. They've programmed you to see things backwards. You shouldn't have to be more like them; they should endeavor to be more like us! Brother, together we can change the world." Lore explained with a hopeful smile.

"I am doubtful that such a change will benefit everyone, Lore. You only seek what will benefit you."

"You still don't get it, do you brother? That is the foundation on which humanity was built upon; self-fulfillment and self-gratification. Come on, brother, are you with me? Are you willing to join me?"

"No, Lore, I am not." Data replied.

Lore sulked for a moment as he turned his attention away from Data for a brief moment before facing him once again.

"Well, it's your choice. Perhaps you'll change your mind once you receive your emotion chip. If not, I'll be on my way. Fair enough?" Lore asked, extending his hand to shake Data's.

Data regarded Lore's hand for a brief moment before taking it. Very quickly, Lore pulled Data in what seemed like a half-hug, reached behind his back and flipped his off switch. Data slumped over and Lore allowed him to fall to the floor.

"Why do you continually reject me, brother?" Lore whispered glumly while frowning at Data's deactivated frame.

Suddenly, Lore realized Dr. Soong would wake from his nap soon. Panicked, Lore knew if he reactivated Data, he would tell their father what he'd just done. Lore was even a bit afraid. He didn't want to be deactivated again. Even more so, he didn't want to face the disappointment of his father. He'd already seen enough of that. Lore did the only thing he could think of at the moment, switch clothing with Data and pretend to be him until he figured out a better plan. Now dressed in Data's Starfleet uniform, Lore hid Data's body in one of the storage rooms.

When Dr. Soong awoke, he met Lore in the lab, thinking he was really Data. The doctor's eyes darted around the room looking for his other son.

"Data, where's Lore?" he asked.

"Lore has left, sir. He seemed… upset." Lore answered, perfectly imitating Data's placid voice.

"Lore was always the jealous type." Dr. Soong sighed. Did he say where he was going?" He asked, a puzzled expression crossing his face.

"No, sir. He simply left."

"Well, maybe it's for the best." Dr. Soong sighed glumly. "Come on, Data. Sit down. I can complete the procedure before he returns."

Moving in an urgent manner, Dr. Soong practically pulled Lore to the chair where the procedure was to be performed.

_For the best, huh, dear father? You probably couldn't wait for me to leave so you can share your special moment with Data!_ Lore thought as he sat in the chair.

Dr. Soong gingerly installed the emotion chip in Lore's head. Upon closing the panel, Lore was filled with an instantaneous surge of emotion. They seemed much more vivid than anything he'd ever experienced with his own emotion program. It was only a fraction of a second, but it was enough to see a few of the many memories contained on the emotion chip. They went by at lightning speed, but Lore was able to experience the flavor of each moment.

Lore was able to see a much younger Dr. Soong. His dark brown hair was tousled a bit and a tuft carelessly swept above the brow of his dazzling blue eyes. He flipped the switch on the android before him. The android he called 'Data'. From that point, Lore experienced another memory. This time, he was looking directly at Dr. Soong and Juliana. They were trying to convince him to dress — no, it wasn't Lore, it was Data. However, Lore was now experiencing the memory in first person perspective.

"Data, you must wear clothing. Especially around other people." Dr. Soong explained.

"For what purpose? I have no need for clothing since I do not suffer from the elements." Data's voice resounded in the memory.

Dr. Soong and Juliana exchanged nervous chuckles as they helped dress their naked android son.

In the next memory, Lore was facing his father once again. Dr. Soong had just finished completing a full diagnostic and the results were very favorable.

"Data, you have successfully passed the critical stage of your development. You have done _remarkably _well, my son. However, I'm afraid that you may not remember anything from your early development. It's strange that I'm about to tell you something I know you'll forget, but I just have to say it anyway. Data, you have made me prouder than I've ever been. You have shown me that all my years of hard work and suffering were worthwhile. I love you, son." Dr. Soong stated tearfully as he hugged Data.

Experiencing this, Lore became thoroughly conflicted. He'd never heard Dr. Soong verbally express pride or love for him and now he was watching him express it to Data. Lore was very jealous, hurt and angry. Yet, in his mind, he felt love towards his father. Lore was very confused. So many memories, so many feelings were coursing through his brain in less than ten seconds. As fast as everything was happening, Lore was still able to process what was going on. Jealousy, bitterness and anger seethed beneath his deceptively calm exterior as he finally opened his eyes. He thought of the first, last and only person who actually _said_ they loved him… Jackie. Suddenly, he broke into song:

"_The sons of the prophets were valiant and bold,_

_And quite unaccustomed to fear._

_But of the most wreckless or so I am told,_

_Was Abdul Abulbul Amir."_

"I always loved that ditty. But I could never get the cadence quite right. _Thank you, father." _Lore said with a smile.

"You called me father!" Dr. Soong said almost to himself in amazement.

"What would you have me call you? _Often Wrong?"_

Dr. Soong's smile faded into a frown.

"What did Lore tell you about that?" He asked.

"Often-Wrong Soong! That is what the colonists called you, isn't it? A very sloppy rhyme... _Wrong Soong, Wrong Soong_… it just doesn't work. Let's see…"

"Data, how are you feeling?" Dr. Soong asked, becoming concerned.

Lore ignores the question and continues to attempts to come up with a better rhyme.

"Often-Wrong's got a broken heart. Can't even tell his boys apart." Lore recited with a broad smile.

Dr. Soong's face dropped with astonishment.

"Lore!" He silently exclaimed.

Lore chuckles as he rises from his seat and paces the room.

"Well, well, you're not as feeble as I thought you were."

"This won't work. Those circuits, they weren't designed for you." Dr. Soong attempted to explain before inquiring about his other son. "Where's Data?"

""Where's Data?" You didn't fill Data with substandard parts, did you old man?! No, that honor was bestowed upon me? You owe me, old man. Not him, _me!" _Lore said bitterly as he slumped in a chair across the room.

"You're not listening to me. It wasn't meant for you. It must be removed!" Dr. Soong urgently tried to explain.

Lore laughed bitterly as he crossed the room until he was in front of his father.

"Nice try, Often-Wrong. _Nice try!"_ Lore said before shuddering. His body stiffened for a brief moment before it relaxed again. Chuckling, he regarded his father with a smirk. "I'm not quite sure what it's doing, but it's doing something."

Lore recalled the seconds before his father deactivated him in the midst of his sorrow on Omicron Theta. _Why couldn't he just talk to me? Why couldn't he be more patient with me like he was with Data?_ In that split second, Lore's emotions ran from anguish to resentment and finally, to anger.

"I didn't know you were alive. If I had..." Dr. Soong said as he attempted to reach out for Lore's face.

However, Lore was startled as he was jolted out of his brief flashback. _No, father! My life has value too! I can't let you deactivate me again! You can't just sit me on a shelf until you're ready to deal with me! I won't let you throw me away and forget about me yet again! _Lore thought .

In a panic, Lore grabbed his father's arm and shoved him in order to put distance between them. However, Lore was unaware of how hard he'd shoved Dr. Soong. The doctor was sent careening into the table and several apparatus' which broke around his frail body. Lore was in denial about what had just occurred. He figured his father hadn't suffered any serious injuries and would simply sleep it off. Singing the comforting tune that reminded him of Jackie, Lore used his portable transporter device in his finger to return to his ship.

However, a short time later, reality began to set in — although Lore was still in a great deal of denial.

_No. He wasn't hurt that badly! He'll recover. He's not that old and he's still strong… for a human. He's probably not even sick. He probably lied about the whole dying thing. Yes, dear father will be fine, and he will finally be with his precious Data! Neither of them will ever have to see me again. _Lore thought.

Lore felt completely alone. He pondered his sense of belonging; his sense of purpose and could come up with nothing. For a time, he thought perhaps he should've allowed his father to deactivate him. Everyone in Lore's life that ever seemed to care about him was gone; the Crystalline Entity, Jackie, his father… _No!_ Lore thought, _He's fine! He's probably a bit bruised, but he has his dear Data to nurse him back to health!_


	26. Chapter 26: Descent

**Chapter 26: Descent**

_Author note: This chapter is heavily based on the episode Descent and contains dialogue written by Rene Echevarria and Ronald D. Moore._

Over time, something strange happened within Lore. He found himself thinking a lot about his brother. Lore realized that he still felt that Data was severely misguided by humans. Lore made a vow to reunite with his brother someday. He vowed to _show_ Data that humans were indeed inferior. Lore figured it to be a win-win situation; Data would finally open his eyes to the truth. Lore figured he would also be fulfilling his promise to Jackie by helping the humans accept the truth.

Lore believed he found that opportunity when he came across an independent group of Borg. They were in a state of utter confusion and chaos. Their numbers were declining since they were unable to care for themselves or even navigate their own vessel. _They're worse than the Pakleds!_ Lore thought.

He took pity on the disoriented Borg. In some way, they reminded Lore of himself. They were isolated, abandoned and forgotten. Upon hearing about the way the Borg arrived at their current state, Lore was infuriated. The crew of the Enterprise had brainwashed a disconnected Borg, Hugh, into believing human ways were superior to what he'd been accustomed to all his life. Once he returned to his group, the rest of the Borg were incited to hysteria. Lore easily designated himself as their new leader and promised to guide them back to greatness and to restore what had been lost. At the same time, Lore felt that in spite of his brother's constant rejection of him, he needed to rescue Data from the deceptive clutches of the humans. In order to do that, Lore knew he would have to target the Enterprise.

The more Lore learned about the Borg, the more he realized that he shared a common goal with them… _perfection._ Of course didn't seek perfection for himself since he thought he already had it, but he wanted to remove the imperfections in humans. He admired the Borg as an organized, intelligent and nearly flawless race. The obvious flaw he saw in them was the fact they were part human. It was that very flaw, that _weakness_ that contributed to the downfall of the Borg group he now led.

Eventually, Lore coached the Borg on how to work in concert. When they were ready, he enacted his plan. Lore knew Data wouldn't listen to him directly, so he figured out a way for one of the Borg to transmit a signal, giving Data an irresistible sample of emotion. Lore decided he'd spare his brother the heartache of the devastating emotion called love. Instead, Lore decided to share the emotion he found most productive… _anger!_

Lore was overjoyed when his plan worked. Data had finally come to him. As Data entered the compound, Lore greeted him warmly.

"Dear brother! Thank you so much for coming! I trust you've received my gift?" Lore asked and Data nodded.

"Yes. I want more." Data said in a voice that almost seemed hungry.

"In time, brother. You don't want to overload yourself by getting too much emotion too soon." Lore smiled proudly as the two walked further into the structure and into a dark-colored room. It appeared to be a large assembly area, although there were no chairs since androids and Borg had no need for such furnishings.

"So Data." Lore said as he exhaled deeply, the smile never leaving his face. "How do you _feel?_"

"I feel _wonderful_. However, I am confused as to why a negative emotion is able to make me feel that way. Perhaps there is something wrong with one of my sub-processors." Data stated.

"No, Data. There's nothing wrong with you. You're finally starting to see past the lies you've been fed during your life with the humans. You're finally breaking free from the mental bondage they've used against you. Brother, you will never be taken advantage of again. You'll never have to play second fiddle to those who have a mere fraction of the intellect you and I possess. Brother, I have found my calling. I have a plan that will bring about the next evolutionary step in mankind. However, there is much preparation to be done, that's part of the reason I wanted to reunite with you. I want you to join me in the great work that lies ahead. If we work side by side — as equals — we'll be unstoppable. The world won't know what's coming!" Lore explained.

"And what is coming?"

"Evolution, brother! You see, all these years you've had it all wrong. You're not supposed to make yourself more human. We're supposed to improve them; make them more like us. You and I are the perfect models for the next step in their evolution."

"Is that why you are leading the Borg? Are they a part of your plan?"

"Now you're catching on. The Borg are on the right track, but their weakness still lies in one area." Lore explained as he tapped his head. "Their minds are still based on human limitations. I endeavor to correct that. My followers believe in the great work that we're doing. They believe in it so greatly, they're willing to lay their lives on the line for it. They know it will lead to a better future — a more _perfect_ future! Sure, the humans will undoubtedly fight us when we try to correct them. They've grown attached to their imperfections and will do anything to hold onto them. But in the end, they'll be grateful for what we've accomplished. Do you understand, brother?"

Data appeared to think for a moment before he finally gave his answer: "Yes, Lore. I understand."

Lore closed his eyes and smiled as he sighed. "Finally." He said in almost a whisper. "So are you with me, brother? Do you care to join me in the great work that lies ahead of us?"

Data smiled gently and nodded his head: "Yes, brother. I wish to help you."

Lore explained the details of his plan to Data. The first phase of it was to eliminate the threat the Federation would pose against them. Lore planned to accomplish this by making an example of the Enterprise crew, the ones responsible for the condition of the Borg group he now led. Lore warned Data that Capt. Picard, Cmdr. LaForge and Counselor. Troi would try to talk him out of his new brotherly alliance. He implored Data not the allow them to manipulate him and use him as their puppet as they've been doing for so many years. He didn't have to wait long before the Starfleet officers arrived. Lore greeted them in the main hall, in which the three officers were surrounded by Borg. Upon seeing Lore, dressed in a black, military style uniform, Capt. Picard addresses whom he believes is his second officer.

"Data...?" He asked, but Lore said nothing, smiling instead.

Suddenly, Counselor Troi reacted fearfully.

"That's not Data..." She informed the captain.

"What do you mean?" He asked, his face wore a mask of bafflement.

Before the counselor could elaborate further, Lore said: "You should listen to her, Captain. She's way ahead of you."

At that moment the captain realized what the counselor was trying to tell him and the shock sets in.

"Lore..." He replied in almost a whisper.

"Right... but I'm not alone." Lore replied triumphantly. In his mind, he had reclaimed the brother they had turned against him. He couldn't wait to rub it in their faces.

Lore looked to his right side. Picard and the others followed his look and saw Data step out from the shadows. He was still wearing his Starfleet uniform, but his entire demeanor had changed. There was something dangerous, angry and malevolent about him.

"The sons of Soong have joined together... and together, we will destroy the Federation." Data stated.

The Borg screamed their approval. A noisy clamor filled the hall as Lore smiled. He was happy and proud to work side by side with his brother, his only remaining relative and the last connection to his father. Savoring the moment, Lore moved through the crowd of Borg that surrounded Capt. Picard, Lt. LaForge and Counselor Troi. Data and a Borg named Crosis, look on.

"What do you think of my followers, Picard? Impressive, aren't they?" Lore asked with a proud smirk.

"I'm not particularly impressed. You've simply taught them to enjoy killing." The captain replied plainly.

_An incredibly narrow-minded response._ Lore thought. _I expected as such._

Before Lore had the chance to verbally respond, Data was already on the defensive, much to Lore's gratification.

"You are wrong, Captain. My brother and I serve a much higher purpose." Data explained.

At that moment, Counselor Troi stared at Data, noticing something unusual.

"Data... I can sense feelings in you."

"Yes. _My brother_ has made it possible." Data replied with a sneer.

"He gave you the chip — the one Doctor Soong made for you." Picard stated.

The remark incited Lore to laughter.

_The limited thinking never ceases! _Lore thought.

"Oh, no, no. I still have the emotional program my father designed. I wouldn't want to give it up. It's what has given me such a strong sense of family — an intense desire to re-unite with my dear brother." Lore revealed.

"Then you're responsible for bringing him here." The counselor replied.

"He came of his own accord. All I had to do was lure the Enterprise into investigating those attacks we staged. Once the Borg told him about my plans, I knew Data would want to join me." Lore explained.

"You mean... you attacked those outposts... killed all those people... just to get Data here with you?"

"How did he do it, Data? What made you decide to come here?" The captain asked Data, who remained silent.

Lore noticed Picard had been continually ignoring him, focusing on Data. Annoyed, he grabbed Picard's arm and turned him away from Data, toward him.

"_I _am talking to you, Picard._ I_ will tell you what you need to know." Lore spat.

"You're controlling him. And you've corrupted the Borg." The captain replied.

Lore stared at Picard and shook his head sadly.

"You simply don't understand. You have no idea what has happened here. How I found my true calling... how the Borg found something to believe in." Lore stated.

"I'd like to learn about it. But I want Data to tell us." Picard replied, his eyes fixed on Data. This infuriated Lore who stepped in front of the captain's line of sight. Lore wanted to eliminate all chances of his brother falling into the human's deceptive clutches.

"I told you — I will tell you what you need to know." Lore hissed.

"How do you like that, Data? He won't even let you talk." Capt. Picard stated to Data, ignoring Lore.

"Do not try to drive a wedge between us, Captain. I am loyal to my brother." Data responded.

Lore beams at this, glad to have warned his brother that his former colleagues would try to turn them against one another… _again_. However, Picard continues to focus on Data, watching him and ignoring Lore.

"You see, Picard? He's not your pawn anymore. I've helped him break free…" Lore explained while gesturing to the Borg, "…just as I've helped them." Lore moved through the Borg as he continued to speak. "Look at them. Look at what I've helped them become. They're no longer mindless automatons. They're passionate. Alive!"

"Are you saying you caused them to become individuals?" asked the counselor.

"No. You and your friends did that. All I did was clean up the mess you made when that Borg you befriended returned to his ship." Lore spat.

"Hugh interfaced with the others and transferred his sense of individuality to them. It nearly destroyed them." Data explained.

"Data, do you remember when Hugh was on the Enterprise? Do you remember what you were like then?" Picard asked.

Lore moves to step directly in front of Picard, forcing his attention.

"That doesn't matter." Lore snapped.

"It does to me. I want to know what's happened to Data." Picard replied.

The captain's constant focus on Data caused Lore to seethe. He found it increasingly difficult to control his temper.

"What's important is what I've done here. I've found my calling, Picard. I know now why I was created. And no one can ever take that away from me." Lore replied while gesturing to the Borg anew. "Without me, they would have perished. When I stumbled on their ship, they were lost, disoriented -- they had no idea how to function as individuals. They couldn't even navigate their own vessel. They had lost their sense of purpose. I gave them that purpose. And they gave me mine."

"The Borg aspire to the perfection my Brother and I represent: fully artificial life forms. We are their future." Data explained.

"The reign of biological life forms is coming to an end. You and those like you are obsolete, Picard." Lore stated as he removed the officers' weapons before turning to face Data.

"Take them, Brother."

Lore watched with immense pride as Data and the Borg escorted the captain, commander and counselor out of the main hall.

Data assisted Lore in Borg experiments. They were attempting to implant nano-cortical fibers which would learn and mimic the firing patterns in the human brain. So far, out of the dozens of experiments they conducted, all of the Borg subjects suffered extensive and irreparable brain damage. Lore was disappointed that he'd lost so many of his followers, but comforted himself with the fact that they understood the risks going into the procedure. However, he decided that he'd be able to utilize his three Starfleet prisoners to possibly prevent further Borg deaths. He asked Data to retrieve an interesting item from one of the prisoner. Lore awaited his return in the main hall and busied himself with giving orders to Borg who were performing various tasks.

"Brother!" Lore greeted as Data approached him with Geordi's VISOR.

"Here is the VISOR. May I ask why you wanted it?" Data inquired.

Lore said nothing as he slipped the device over his own eyes.

"I thought it might look good on me." He said while regarding Data with a smile. "What do you think?" Data looks at him vacantly. Frowning, Lore takes it off. "Maybe we'd better work on your sense of humor, Brother. Actually, I was thinking that LaForge's implants would make him an ideal test subject for my experiment." Lore explained while examining the VISOR terminals.

"All the Borg you have experimented on so far have suffered extensive brain damage." Data plainly reminded Lore.

The statement prompted Lore to sharply raise his attention to his brother. _I'm not sure I like that tone. You're not going to challenge me, are you brother?_ Lore thought. Not wanting to openly accuse Data of disloyalty, Lore decided to test his reaction to his next response.

"Using the humans to perfect the procedure would allow us to prevent any further Borg deaths." Lore explained, watching carefully for Data's reaction. When he saw Data's expression soften with a smile, he returned it.

"I understand." Data replied.

_Good. That's much better._ Lore thought.

One of the Borg, Crosis, entered the room with another Borg, Goval. He angrily dragged the frightened Goval in front of Lore, who looked at the pair curiously.

"What is it?" He asked.

"This Borg disconnected himself from the others. He would not let me hear his thoughts." Crosis explained.

Lore closed his eyes briefly while exhaling a deep breath to illustrate his disappointment, but not anger. He sorrowfully shook his head while training his gaze deeply into Goval's terrified eyes.

"I've asked you all to remain linked to Crosis at all times. You know that, don't you?" asked Lore.

"Yes..." Goval tremulously responded.

"I understand how difficult it is for you. How uncertain you feel. All these sensations are new — and they can be frightening. Isn't that right?" Lore asked softly.

Goval felt safe enough to be honest with his leader. Nevertheless, he was still nervous.

"Yes. I — have doubts..." He confessed.

"Of course you do. That's only natural. And no one is going to blame you for that." Lore continued. "But the only way to lose those doubts... to keep you from fear and confusion... is for you to stay linked with the others. So their strength and confidence can help you." He approached Goval and placed his hand on his shoulder. "I need you, Goval. I need you to help me build a future for the Borg. I can't do it without you. Will you help me?"

"Yes... I will..." Goval answered.

"Then I need you to be strong. I need you to be certain in your thinking. Will you stay linked to your brothers?" Lore asked.

"Yes. I understand now." Goval answered.

Lore felt a surge of fulfillment, belonging and purpose as he realized that he had solidified the strength of yet another follower. The magnitude of those feelings intensified when he saw Data nodding his acquiescence.

Awhile later, Data met Lore outside the compound entrance. Lore was overseeing the Borg workers as they performed various tasks.

"There you are, Brother. Have you made any progress with La Forge?" Lore asked.

"It is too early to tell if the nano-cortical fibers have performed their function." Data answered.

"I suspect none of the humans will survive the process... but it's their own fault, isn't it? They should never have come here. What were they thinking?" Lore rhetorically asked with a confident smile as he looked into the distance. He felt it was poetic justice that the Starfleet captives would die at the hand of Data, whom they had turned against his own brother in the past.

"They came looking for me." Data answered quietly.

"Humans are so sentimental."

"I betrayed them. If they die... I am responsible."

Data's last comment caused Lore to regard his brother with concern.

"Why are you talking like this? Is something wrong with your programming? Perhaps I should check your systems."

"I do not want you to check my systems. I must resolve these issues myself." Data firmly answered.

Lore eyes Data, warily. _Is my brother losing perspective? Maybe these emotions are confusing him. I can't allow him to feel guilty for what we're doing, especially since what we're doing is right. He must learn to rely on me… not the humans. He must learn to trust me and not them. It's time for him to realize that I understand him better than they ever will and that I can offer him much more than they can ever dream._

"I think I've made a mistake. I don't believe you can tolerate the amount of emotion I've been giving you." Lore said as he reached for one of his own fingers and flipped the nail up, revealing circuitry inside. "Perhaps I should cut back a little..." Lore adjusted something in his nail and Data shuddered -- like a junkie coming down off a drug. "How's that?"

"I... do not like it..." Data said while cringing.

"Ah. Then you prefer having more emotions... ?" Lore asked.

"Yes..."

"They give you pleasure."

"Yes. Please... I want more..." Data implored.

Lore allowed Data to yearn for a moment longer, not to be cruel, but for Data to understand that without him, he couldn't experience what he always wanted… emotions. Lore then adjusted the circuitry.

"All right. For now, a little more." Lore said.

Data's body relaxed as he was once again flooded with negative emotion. The extent of his relief was comparable to what a junkie experiences after receiving a fix.

"Aren't you going to thank me?" Lore asked, again not to be cruel, but so Data knew who was responsible for him attaining his desire.

"Thank you..."

"Don't mention it. I just hope this has helped clarify things for you." Lore replied with a slight smile.

A moment after Data walked away to tend to his duties, Lore beckoned to Crosis, who immediately approached.

"I am concerned about my brother, Crosis. I don't believe he really wants to be a part of our great future." Lore stated, his face filled with a mixture of sadness and dread. "I'm hoping my doubts about him are unwarranted, but in order to do that, he must pass one final test. Inform the rest of the Borg to assemble in the main hall. Tell my brother that he is to meet me there with Picard."

Crosis nodded his acknowledgement before leaving to carry out his orders.

Lore and the Borg arrived at the main hall simultaneously. He noticed Data and Capt. Picard in the center of the room.

"There you are, Captain. Thank you for joining us. You're going to help me in a most important ceremony." Lore stated.

As Lore approached Data and the captain, Crosis and the rest of the Borg watched in reverent silence.

Lore addressed Data.

"It's time to put your doubts aside, Brother. It's time to close the door on your past and commit yourself to the great work that lies ahead of us. I need to know that I can count on you." Lore paused to glance at the captain. "As proof, I want you to kill Picard."

Lore watched as Data's expression faltered. Nevertheless, Data unsheathed his weapon and aimed it at Picard while staring into his eyes. It only took a split second for Lore to understand that he'd lost his brothers support. He learned that it was worse than not having Data's support at all. As Lore processed his pain and disappointment, Data continued to stare at the captain for a long moment. Finally, Data lowered his weapon.

"No... It would be wrong." Data answered.

Crosis quickly removed the weapon from Data. Lore regarded his Brother sadly as he shook his head. He tightened his lips in quiet anger before speaking to his brother.

"I didn't think you'd be able to do it. You've spent too many years among humans." Lore said.

Lore turned away from Data. It was too painful to look at him anymore.

_I won't allow them to use you as their puppet again. I refuse to let the humans treat you as they've treated me, especially since you've proven yourself too weak to defend yourself against them, brother. I'd rather die than to have that happen to me again and I'm sure you'd want the same for yourself… if you hadn't been confused and corrupted by them._ Lore thought.

Lore cast a glance at Crosis — and as if by prearranged contingency, Crosis swung in to action.

"Hold him." Crosis instructed and two Borg stepped forward, taking Data by the arms.

Lore addressed all the Borg.

"I've asked many sacrifices of you — sacrifices I knew were necessary in order to build a better future. I want you to know that I ask no more of you than I am prepared to give myself. I am willing to make the greatest sacrifice of all — my own dear brother." Lore stated.

Lore took a weapon from one of the Borg. He regarded Data with great sadness in his eyes.

_I'm so sorry it's had to come to this, Data. However, it's not your fault or mine. The humans have tainted you, just as they've tried to taint and reprogram me. I'm sure if you understood, you'd thank me for what I'm about to do. I love you brother._ Lore thought sadly as he began to raise the weapon.

"Good bye, Data." Lore said.

Suddenly, a Borg known as Hugh rushed forward and knocked it away.

"No!" Hugh shouted.

Crosis aimed to take Hugh out, but a phaser bolt blasted him.

Pandemonium ensued leaving Lore and Data standing and looking at each other across the room. Lore fled the area and into the lab where he furiously worked on a console to initiate his escape plan. He stopped when he heard Data enter the room.

"Lore..." Data called.

Lore turned and saw the weapon in Data's hand.

"Be careful with that, Brother. Somebody could get hurt."

"What are you doing?"

"I have a way out of here. I'm willing to forget about what happened back there and take you with me. We don't need anyone else. We're Brothers."

He noticed that Data was unmoved by his sentiment.

"I'll give you the chip our father made. It contains more than just emotions — it has memories." Lore explained. As Lore spoke, he surreptitiously opened his fingernail. "Memories our Father wanted you to have."

Lore activated the circuitry and cuts off the flow of emotions -- Data shuddered as before. Lore used the opportunity to go for a weapon on a nearby console.

Lore whipped it around to shoot his brother. Data fired in self-defense and the bolt hit Lore square in the chest. Lore's systems began to overload. Tendrils of crackling energy coursed around his head and he collapsed to the ground.

Data knelt at Lore's side and opened a panel in his cranial unit, exposing the circuitry inside.

"I am going to deactivate you now." Data stated.

_Deactivated? Again?... how many times must… I go through this? You need me, brother. You've been searching for someone who… understands you and I do… don't you understand? Why can't I get you to understand that without me... without me… _Lore thought. He actually wanted to say these words aloud, but the damage he'd suffered only allowed sporadic phrases to come through.

"Without me, you will never feel emotion again." Lore said haltingly. His speech processors, like most his thought processes were clearly damaged.

"You leave me no other choice. Good bye, Lore." Data said in a little more than a whisper.

_My ability to love may not be the same as everyone else's, but… _Lore thought.

"I... love you... Brother..." Lore stated, his voice slurring due to the extensive damage he'd endured. He felt the sensation of fingers in his cranial unit before his fuzzy vision faded to black. His hearing also failed as the rest of his systems ceased functioning.

The end? Not a chance! Stay tuned for the sequel: "_Path to Redemption_"


End file.
